Welcome to PollockArtsFair.com — and the Heart of the Pollock Arts Initiative (PAI)

In Maplewood and South Orange, the arts aren’t extra—they’re essential. They’re where kids build confidence, process big feelings, connect with each other, and discover who they are. That’s why Pollock Properties Group created PollockArtsFair.com, a vibrant digital directory connecting families with local arts educators and creative classes—and why we fund the Pollock Arts Initiative (PAI) to ensure every student can access the magic of arts education, regardless of financial barriers.

Whether you're here to discover your next creative adventure or to support a student on theirs—you're in the right place.

🎨 Explore. Connect. Support.
PollockArtsFair.com is your 24/7 corner to make creative connections. A joyful dance class for your little one. A ceramics studio to call your own. The perfect music teacher to spark a lifelong love of song. It’s all here.

And for students who lack access to lessons, rentals, or materials? That’s where your donation comes in.

Your Gift = Real Access for Real Students

When you give to PAI, you’re not just supporting arts education in theory. You’re putting instruments into kids’ hands. You’re helping a teen take their first photography class. You’re saying yes to talent, joy, and self-expression—especially for those who need it most.

Just look at what donations made possible during the 2024-25 school year:

🎵 MUSIC

$6,445 – Music lessons for teacher-nominated students
$3,964 – CHS Music Dept grant for new mouthpieces
$7,695 – District-wide instrument rentals for students in need
$900 – Music tech camp scholarship for nominated student
$541 – Materials for the CHS Instrument Repair Club

🖼 VISUAL ARTS

$2,500 – CHS Ceramics Pugmill grant
$1,666 – CHS Photography grant: medium-format cameras
$1,675 – Photography equipment & classes for nominated students

📊 TOTAL FUNDED (as of April 30, 2025): $25,387

🎯 Annual Goal: $30,000

We’re close—and with your help, we can go even further.

Double Your Impact Today

Founders Vanessa and Charlie Pollock are matching every dollar donated up to $5,000—so your gift goes twice as far.

Together, we can raise the final $10,000 we need to start the school year strong and say yes to even more young artists from the very beginning.

✨ Your donation today fuels creativity, equity, and opportunity in our public schools.
✨ Your support helps us meet students where they are—and lift them up through the arts.
✨ Your generosity helps make our community the vibrant, expressive, inclusive place it’s meant to be.

Donate now. Share widely. And thank you for believing in what’s possible when every student gets a chance to shine.

Background

The Pollock Arts Initiative (formerly known as the Vanessa Pollock Music Initiative) is a fund that helps underwrite instrument and arts equipment rentals at the elementary and middle school levels to eliminate financial barriers to student participation in arts programming. In addition, the fund will supplement Achieve Foundation funding of grant requests related to visual and performing arts, and may be used to help maintain the District's inventory of musical instruments and other arts-related equipment and supplies. Through the Initiative, scholarship awards for advanced training may be offered to Columbia High School students who demonstrate exceptional talent and are recommended by SOMSD music and arts department faculty. Awards are tailored to students’ specific needs for private instruction, classes and/or professional quality instruments/art equipment.

The Pollock Arts Initiative is conducted in partnership with the SOMSD and Achieve, the local Education Foundation. The Achieve Foundation is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that raises funds to promote exemplary public education for all students and educators in our community.

Digital Arts Fair

Supporting the Pollock Arts Initiative