A Message from our Executive Director

May this message find you with joy and light. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is René García-Hernández (Él/He/Him), and I am humbled to be the Art Mentorship Program’s (AMP) Executive Director. When I was a teen, I remember struggling with mental health, body image, and feeling that I didn’t belong. In a world that always tried to put me in a box and define my identity, I found myself isolating further into a dark place. I needed an outlet to live and be able to breathe as my full authentic self. It was then that I found the warm light of the stage that filled me with joy, healing, power, and I knew that I had found a home. I released negativity through movement and dance when I didn’t have the words. Dance helped me find the confidence to feel worthy and seen. Dance saved me. When my depression was at its worst, dance not only gave me the power of belonging, but also a path to support social movements through ARTivism. Now, I get to do it every day by helping others find the same light and identity through movement, art, and play through our programs at AMP. It is an honor to provide a space for future dancers, leaders, and artists that often lack access, opportunity, and a home.