The Leroy E. Hoffberger Shining Youth / Shining Walls

The Leroy E. Hoffberger Shining Youth, also, Shining Walls. . , In joyful recognition of LeRoy E. Hoffberger's unique role as co-founder with Rebecca Hoffberger of the American Visionary Art Museum, and for his lifelong extraordinary and passionate leadership as both humanitarian and cultural philanthropist, our national museum's exterior, dazzling, youth-at-risk-built mosaic walls bear his good name., This pro-youth program that covers our museum walls with recycled mirror and sparkling mosaics first began in 2001 via a partnership with our museum's near neighbor, the Southern High School, and its students identified as at great risk of dropping out. Their very hard team work created Phase I , the three-story tall shining mosaic facade that faces east, fronting Key Highway. The museum's cafe balcony surface was then completed in 2006 in Phase II, working with youth in even greater need of mentoring , incarcerated juveniles in Baltimore City's penal system. Its curved surface depicts a sunset and a moonrise with circular "planets" that are wholly imagined and created by our individual youth apprentices. The stunning beauty of the shining youth-made walls encircling our national museum gives us a chance to share the heartbreaking, little known fact that the vast majority of teens serving time in Baltimore City juvenile justice facilities are doing so for non-violent crimes! Our Visionary Museum's skilled apprenticeship program encourages teamwork, pride in creating something both exquisite and lasting, and results in real job skills, useful for the rest of their lives. After a threshold of dedicated apprenticeship hours, each participant is rewarded with a rare lifetime museum membership. Phase III (2013-2015) of our multi-year wall apprenticeship program addresses the west/Federal Hill face of our main building , a night sky with an artistic Aurora Borealis, swirling and glowing iridescent in greens and purples. The final project topper , a sparkling crystal "crown" that can best be enjoyed viewed from the other side of the Harbor , completes this truly radiant beacon of hope expressing LeRoy's and our belief that caring investment in young people upfront makes far better ethical and economic sense than does the cost of their correction and punishment., The LeRoy E. Hoffberger Shining Youth/Shining Walls stand in glorious testimony to LeRoy's enormous generosity of spirit, support of AVAM, and to the beauty, imagination and hard work of all the individual youth apprentices., Phase I Project Directors: Beth Secor and Jack Livingston , Phase II and III Project Director: Mari Gardner