High School Students Design and Merchandise Original Fashions

Owner of Shaker Square’s Cosmic Bobbins mentors 10 ArtWorks ApprenticesCleveland, OH (February 24, 2014)—10 students have created one-of-a-kind totes worthy of Manhattan’s boutique shops. They’ve learned the fundamentals of hand-sewing, reverse applique, and machine applique. They’ve analyzed market trends and spearheaded their own merchandising strategies. And did we mention that they’re all in high-school?No, this is not a reality TV show. This is ArtWorks, Center for Arts-Inspired Learning’s paid college and job readiness internship in the arts. These 10 students work with master teaching artist, Sharie Renee, owner of Shaker Square’s Cosmic Bobbins, to learn the craft of fashion design while simultaneously learning 21st century skills such as teamwork and professional communication.Spring ArtWorks is Sharie’s first venture as a Master Teaching Artist but she has mentored other area teens as well as adults in developing their sewing skills. While her ultimate goal is to teach them a technical construction concept and an embellishment technique, like any good teacher, she constructs each class so that each apprentice can grow and flourish, both as an artist and as a teen.ArtWorks apprentices are available for interviews and can be seen in action Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-7:30 at the Halle Building (1228 Euclid Ave). The Spring ArtWorks Culminating Event is Tuesday, April 8 at 5:30 PM at the Halle Building.About the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning’s ArtWorksFounded in 2005, ArtWorks is the only multi-disciplinary, arts-based job-training and college- readiness program for Northeast Ohio high school students that provides training in the arts while developing skills for the workplace, such as teamwork, discipline, creative problem solving, critical thinking and personal responsibility. ArtWorks "apprentices" create exciting original work in theater, dance, music, visual arts, video game design, architecture and other art forms. Master Teaching Artists mentor apprentices and teach them not only the specifics of an arts discipline, but also essential 21st-century skills that transfer to any workplace. ArtWorks apprentices earn a wage, host public performances and exhibitions of their work, and are provided opportunities to work as professionals on real-world and community-oriented projects, often collaboratively across art forms. For more information visit www.arts-inspiredlearning.org/artworks.About the Center for Arts-Inspired LearningThe Center for Arts-Inspired Learning (formerly Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio) enriches the lives of children and promotes creative learning by uniting arts and education. Organized in 1953, the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning is the only multi-arts resource for schools and communities in the region whose primary purpose is to make learning through the arts an essential part of young people’s education. Programs take place in public, private, and parochial schools as well as libraries, hospitals and other civic spaces, reaching nearly 220,000 young people each year. For more information visit www.arts-inspiredlearning.orgAbout Sharie ReneeWhile pursuing a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University in Communications and a minor focus in Environmental Studies, Sharie found a creative outlet in sewing that would lead her on a career path that would unite all of her interests and passions. In 2002, Sharie decided to create her own vision for a business and launched Cosmic Bobbins, a lifestyles brand fashioned at the crossroads of business and social good. By utilizing a ground floor recycling initiative, Cosmic Bobbins vision would be to upcycle materials that might otherwise be considered waste and turn them into one-of-a-kind accessories while creating fair-trade employment in underserved populations. Sharie continued to grow the concept for these employment opportunities by reaching out to organizations serving individuals with special needs and Cleveland’s youth.In 2011, Sharie opened her first Holiday Pop-Up store in Tremont that featured her fair-trade work and embroidery along with other Cleveland artists. The following year, Sharie launched this shop concept that has now become a permanent boutique in Shaker Square. Since opening, Sharie has sold the products of 50 local artists and created a sewing studio where she teaches classes. Her most recent developments have been in creating a sewing program for underserved individuals looking to pursue an education in this industry. Additionally, Sharie acts as a consultant to larger manufacturing companies for creating new products, training programs and development for this growing industry.