Justin Winget, co-founder of the ChARTer program, talks to local students during the latest ChARTer event held Nov. 22 at Orrville High.Submitted
Using life’s challenges for good, Justin Winget set out to inspire high school students to pursue their dreams of becoming working artists in professions such as graphic design, industrial design, media arts, architecture, production artist, freelance design, brand marketing, business, creative director and fine art.
Winget was an average student, but he excelled at art — drawing, painting and sculpting. His parents, Joyce and the late Morgan, noticed this, embraced it and sought professional guidance for their son. That was in the 1990s.
Now Winget, a 44-year-old award-winning creative director with the Detroit Pistons, visits his hometown of Orrville, along with a cadre of professionals and collegiate artistic program recruiters. They presented the sixth biannual ChARTer Program for 14 high schools from Ashland, Holmes and Wayne counties on Nov. 22 at Orrville High School. Participating high schools included Central Christian, Chippewa, Kingsway, Mapleton, Northwestern, Norwayne, Orrville, Rittman, Smithville, Triway, Waynedale, West Holmes, Wooster Christian and Wooster.
“My late father and I created the ChARTer Program to help teenagers answer the same questions I had as a high school student: ‘Can I actually pursue a career in art? What do I do next?’” Winget said. “We want to make sure talented artists don’t slip through the cracks.”
ChARTer is a biannual, one-day workshop for high school students who are serious about pursuing careers in visual arts. The initiative, developed in 2014, addresses artists slipping through the cracks of education by implementing a simple strategy: identify high school students with artistic talent, create a support network for these students, and counsel these students on options available on the collegiate and professional level to apply their talent.
Participating students experienced two keynote lectures from creative professionals, Winget and Ryan Brazelton. Additionally, students had presubmitted questions answered by a professional creative panel, participated in one-on-one portfolio review sessions, met with regional higher education art program representatives and interacted through roundtable discussions aimed at providing an understanding of the different creative disciplines.
This year’s event included six participating universities: Akron University, Ashland University, Bowling Green State University, Cleveland Institute of Art, University of Mount Union and Otterbein University.
“We are organically generating a community of accomplished creatives guiding aspiring creatives. This community is a support network that will become invaluable as these creative students ponder and take the next steps on their artistic paths,” Winget said.
“ChARTer helps communicate to the public the importance of visual art education in our schools. Providing innovative programs like ChARTer is essential for today’s students to grow as they prepare to compete for future jobs,” said Dr. Michelle Muro, Tri-County ESC fine arts consultant. “Hundreds of students have been blessed by the Winget family’s hard work, vision and generosity.
“The student impact that was made through ChARTer is immeasurable. We are beyond grateful. It was a blessing to know and work with the Winget family on ChARTer for the past 10 years.”
Winget organized ChARTer with help from friends, family and sponsors including The J.M. Smucker Company, Heartland Education Community, Wayne College 3D Lab and the Tri-County Educational Service Center.
