R&R Partners, an international marketing and advertising agency, hosted children ages 10 to 16 from the Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona program to experience painting in a virtual atmosphere at their office in the Phoenix Warehouse District on Thursday.
Free Arts is the only nonprofit organization in Arizona delivering creative and therapeutic art programs, at no cost, to children ages 3 to 21 who have faced abuse, neglect and homelessness. For many of the children visiting R&R Partners, it was their first time experiencing virtual reality.
“We are grateful to work with R&R Partners to bring a truly unique opportunity to children participating in Free Arts programs,” said Alicia Sutton Campbell, executive director. “Experiences like this provide access to tools and technology for children to express their emotions in new and innovative ways. Free Arts is appreciative of our volunteers and corporate partners. We couldn’t continue to offer our services without community-minded collaborators like R&R Partners.”
The event stems from the Phoenix Addy Awards, where the advertising agency was tasked with providing an artistic contribution for an auction benefitting Free Arts programs. Instead of a canvas piece, the agency decided to go one step further and take it virtual.
“Our agency is well versed in harnessing the power of creative expression for our clients, so bringing these children into our world and providing a unique experience that fuses technology and art was a pleasure,” said Nicole Rose, vice president and managing director at R&R Partners in Phoenix. “We wanted to create a judgement-free environment for the kids to get creative in an interactive way they’ve never experienced before.”
FabCom, a fellow marketing agency in Scottsdale, was the highest bidder on the auction item to sponsor the virtual reality experience. To view the artwork created with Google Tilt Brush, click here.
