About Inkwell Arts
InkWell Arts is an all inclusive arts program, which means EVERYONE is welcome, and celebrated for who they are.
Our youth are in a mental health crisis. Depression, Anxiety and feelings of isolation are
at levels not seen in generations. The causes are multitude, amongst them screen
addiction, lack of investment from systems, skyrocketing inflation, poverty, global
warming, racism, attacks on trans youth, housing, car culture and an overall feeling of
hopelessness. What can be done? One answer is providing accessible and imaginative
arts programming.
The arts build self esteem. They bring people together. They offer a conduit for
connection and self expression. Connection fights isolation. Self expression combats
depression. The focus of art-making reduces anxiety. Having a place to be yourself
builds up a young person’s self esteem. InkWell programming lives in accessible
spaces, like libraries, schools and non profits. I am committed to growing our program
into a physical accessible art center.
WIth a 25+ years in the arts as an arts educator, art therapist, muralist, puppeteer,
illustrator and overall arts advocate, Bruce Orr is dedicated to providing high caliber arts
experiences for all.
The Story of InkWell
When I was starting art school at University of the Arts in 1991, I needed a job. I was trotting up and down South street in Philadelphia, going to every kind of store and restaurant, but no one would hire me. I did get a call back from a local caricaturist, who summoned me to draw his girlfriend. I did my best, but he said it wasn’t very good, so I left disheartened. The next morning the phone rang at 6am. It was the caricaturist. “Hey Brucey, Can you be here in 15 minutes? I need a caricaturist today, my guy called out.” And that was the beginning of my art career. I haven’t done anything else since. What I learned from drawing caricatures on the Jersey shore, and performing puppet shows in Portland Oregon, and teaching cartooning at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and filling the Family Dollar in Beverly Massachusetts full of gigantic cardboard bugs, is that the arts access a part of us that is magical. I have seen the faces light up countless times. When we are creating, we are ourselves. When we can put ourselves into the world, expressively and without judgment, we feel good. For 13 years I worked for an arts non profit based in Lynn. I felt that other cities needed free art programs as well. I partnered with Lucia DelNegro to write a grant for free art class in the Peabody library, and got it. I also got funding for public art there. I had to choose between continuing to work a full time job or starting my own program. I chose InkWell. I started InkWell to provide young people with a place to express themselves, be who they are and explore creative possibilities through art. As I write this I am preparing for my first classes in Peabody next week. The families I talk to say they want more art for their kids. I have done this my whole life and I am not going to stop now. It is a dream for me to open an InkWell art center here in Beverly. Sign up for my newsletter, enroll your kid in a class, write the administration to ask for an art space for the city of Beverly, send me an email. Let’s bring some art to our communities! Ok, I have to go write a syllabus, start a grant for the library and meet with a local art school. Bye for now. Let’s do this! -Bruce
Inkwell in downtown Beverly!!!
Earlier this year I started working inside of an abandoned Family Dollar in downtown Beverly, or as we locals like to call it, “Garden City”. Using cardboard, paper mache and 100% recycled materials, I filled it full of bugs, bats, birds, bees, beetles and more! Go check it out at 224 Cabot street, and see how many creatures you can spot!
