Art, Entrepreneurship, and Service at Hedgeapple Arts

Our CEO students got a look inside Hedgeapple Arts, the art studio founded four years ago by our program facilitator, Katie Bretzlaff. Katie showed students the 2D and 3D studio spaces and shared how she got started, who her customers are, the classes and opportunities she offers, and how Hedgeapple Arts has built a growing community of new and established artists.

In the ceramics studio, students watched a pottery wheel demonstration and helped glaze a handmade bowl for Empty Bowls: Kankakee County, a fundraiser that supports local organizations addressing food insecurity. The event, spearheaded by Katie and Hedgeapple Arts, has raised nearly $30,000 in the past three years - all of which stays right here in our community to fight food insecurity.

The CEO team will spend an upcoming class morning helping set up for Empty Bowls as a service learning opportunity. It’s a chance to see how businesses, volunteers, and community organizations work together and to be part of that work themselves.