Our Mission
The Center for ArtEsteem empowers individuals to be self-aware and inspired through art, creativity, and education, making positive choices to break the cycle of violence for themselves and their communities.
We envision a world where everyone is whole, safe, loved, educated and valued. In all our work, ArtEsteem promotes the understanding that we can choose peace over conflict and love over fear.
Founded in 1989 by Aeeshah and Kokomon Clottey, The Center for ArtEsteem (ArtEsteem), also known as the Attitudinal Healing Connection of Oakland, addresses social ills by providing opportunities for creative expression and healing to children, families, and individuals.
Through ArtEsteem’s educational programs, professional development workshops, annual exhibitions, public art murals, and community-based arts engagement, we cultivate personal, collective, and environmental awareness, wellness, leadership and action.
At its inception, ArtEsteem’s primary focus was mental wellness through person-to-person connection. Aeeshah and Kokomon created healing programs (e.g. Mindful Drumming circles, Racial Healing circles, Good Neighbor Project, Unleashing the Human Spirit Retreat) to manifest a world where everyone was educated, valued, and loved.
ArtEsteem’s mission and vision transformed when Aeeshah and Kokomon’s daughter, Amana Harris, joined the team and merged her love of the arts with her experience in public education together to form the ArtEsteem program in 1995.
Our creative programming empowers students and inspires learning by integrating the arts with classroom academic coursework in support of academic standards. The program has served 50 at-risk schools and their communities, directly and indirectly reaching over 125,000 children, youth and families in West Oakland, East Oakland and San Francisco.
ArtEsteem curriculum focuses on themes relevant to students’ lives—their families, communities and an ever-changing world—while drawing from their own cultures, concerns and experiences. At ArtEsteem, we believe that artistic expression manifests solutions that have the potential to elevate community consciousness, enable racial healing and bridge learning, language and technology gaps toward a better, safer, more equitable and beautiful world.
In 2024, ArtEsteem is making significant headway on a venture of great potential. Two years ago, we launched the “Building the Center for ArtEsteem” Capital Campaign and acquired approximately 5,000 square feet of land and property in West Oakland to ensure our sustainability in Oakland as our city transforms. With this new Center, located only two blocks away from our original home at 33rd and West Street, ArtEsteem can revitalize our roots within the Hoover-Foster neighborhood.
