This year’s Berkowitz Award recipient is a woman who has devoted her life to helping underserved children through the medium of creating art. Sarah Ward, founder and director of the South Chicago Art Center, has won the hearts of many through her tireless work as an art teacher in the schools and in her free, after-school art program, where children may find a safe place to grow not only as artists, but also as strong individuals.

Ward grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota as the youngest of four siblings. After earning her undergraduate degree, she moved to New York City and taught art in public schools that served the Lower East Side housing projects. There she noticed children using art to express what was happening in their lives more easily than talking about it. In a recent interview, Ward said, "I remember one of the kids; his house had burned down and the next day he was drawing a lot of pictures of houses on fire. I thought about the connection between doing art to get out my feelings but also to look at art created by kids who go through serious problems and have them surface in art class."

After she had worked with kids in New York, Ward moved to Chicago, where she worked in the Cook County Jail as an art therapist with children who had cases in court, from theft to battery. Ward remembered, "We did these groups where it was almost like women sitting around and quilting; it instigates a conversation, and so the children were able to sit around the table as peers, not as enemies, as they would be in the street." Ward used this experience and others like it to create the South Chicago Art Center in 2001.

Now, after seven years of success, the Center has helped thousands of kids find a safe place to go after school in a neighborhood that has no other programs. The center is open five days a week from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and offers classes in painting, drawing, bookmaking, silk-screening and even iMovie and Photoshop.

The Committee chose Sarah Ward to receive the Berkowitz Award because of her never-ending commitment to children through art therapy. Her work also exemplifies this year’s theme, Youth Programs that Promote Cross-Cultural Connections and Individual Growth. Ward has worked tirelessly to provide a safe outlet for the kids on Chicago’s South Side. Her dedication to providing students with a wide array of experiences made her the best candidate for this year’s award.