The fourth floor of the Shaw Center was quiet Tuesday night, but the vibrantly colored paintings hanging from the walls spoke loudly of the need to promote the arts to teens of Baton Rouge. Art Serving Art is the Focus group’s — an Honors College student organization — annual silent art auction to benefit the group’s two-week summer arts program for Baton Rouge high school sophomores.Professional and student artists from various schools around the country donated more than 100 pieces of art to be auctioned off Tuesday night. All proceeds from the art goes directly to fund the Focus group’s summer program.”It’s a good way not only for us to raise money for the program but to get people in the community to be aware of this need we have to get the arts back into our high schools,” said Ashley Lopez, mass communication junior and event organizer for Art Serving Art.The Focus summer program is an Honors College program that takes high school students from under-resourced Baton Rouge high schools and puts them through a two-week, arts-oriented learning program and simulated college experience, Lopez said.The summer program is partially funded by grants and sponsorships, but the group has a goal of raising $2,000 to ensure adequate funding for the program.The summer program is completely planned, implemented and taught by University Honors College students in the Focus group who go through a service learning course during the spring semester to prepare to successfully teach the program, said Mark Dochterman, group adviser for Focus. Giving students experience in various arts and humanities such as creative writing, music, dance, philosophy, studio art and theatre is the central focus of the program. The course also emphasizes some science and journalism skills.”We are trying to help high school students from that particular part of our education system to find ways to get some of the arts and humanities experience they might not be getting initially,” Dochterman said. “We want to let them know that creativity is valued.”Giving the high school students an experience similar to what college is like is also a goal of the summer program.The program is designed to mirror the college experience with high school students going through an application process, then living on campus similar to University students, Dochterman said.”We want to give them the opportunity to do artistic things but at the same time, give them information about the college experience,” said Megan Miclette, English and secondary education junior.The high school students get the opportunity to visit various colleges where the deans speak to them about the different opportunities college provides.”Most of [the high school students] have no idea if college is even a viable option for them,” Lopez said. “It is so funny to watch them go to the colleges and speak to the deans about the different degrees they can earn, and when they come back, they would all be talking about what they want to do with college.”Dochterman said the high school students are not the only beneficiaries of the program because the University Honors College students learn leadership skills and intercultural maturity.”How do I deal with people of a different age group, socioeconomic background and different ethnic background?” Dochterman asked. “It is a huge thing as the world becomes a more global market and as America becomes more and more of a melting pot. Different people need to be able to work together to get things done.”- – – -Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at [email protected]