Mission Statement:
Southwest 7 Arts Llc. is a fine art consultant group based at The Little Red Schoolhouse, in Berea, Ohio, offering fine art instruction and programs to Southwest area suburbs: including but not limited to Berea, Brookpark, Columbia Station, Middleburg Heights, Olmsted Falls, Olmsted Township and Strongsville.
Southwest 7 Arts Llc. (Sw7 Arts) was formed by three experienced professional artists: Ken McCarthy, Augusto Bordelois and Barbara Kaplysh in the spring of 2006. The company was created to fill a void regarding high quality and affordable fine art instruction in the southwest area suburbs of Cleveland, and to revitalize a historic landmark in the area: Little Red Schoolhouse, by using it as the company base, classroom facility and studio space.
Sw7 Arts is an artist-driven organization with a personal investment and determination to create an art center at the schoolhouse to provide an affordable and valuable service to the community at large.
Sw7 Arts’ beginning is directly related to the place where its services would be offered: The Little Red Schoolhouse. The formation of the company was catalyzed by the interest of The Berea Little Red Schoolhouse Foundation in using art programs as a way to create awareness and constructive community use of the facility. The Berea Little Red Schoolhouse Foundation is a 501 (c3) nonprofit organization charged with the protection, restoration and revitalization of the schoolhouse.
The management team is formed by 3 active professional artists with diverse level of experiences in art instruction and for profit and non-profit business administration: Ken McCarthy, Augusto Bordelois and Barbara Kaplysh.
Ken McCarthy is a local professional photographer and business owner with deep roots in the Berea community and is also a member of the board of trustees of The Little Red Schoolhouse Foundation. Mr. McCarthy has taught different art subjects at several local venues and was the owner of Gorman’s Photo, and has an already established a local client base and network. Mr. McCarthy’s teaching and artist experience, and his established local network are assets to our company. His relationship to the Foundation board will allow both organizations to have a clear channel of communication during our partnership agreement.
Augusto Bordelois ' multimedia experience, international reputation, networking skills, invested interests as an artist, as well as experience in event programming and nonprofit administration, will bring the necessary level of program development and grant writing expertise to cope with and to anticipate potential outreach needs of Sw7 Arts’ programs, as well as to assist The Little Red Schoolhouse Foundation with their fundraising needs.
Barbara Kaplysh is a professional clay artist and a retired teacher. Ms. Kaplysh has been and is part of the board of trustees and committees of many community organizations in the area. She worked in the Berea School System for 30 years as an art teacher and curriculum developer. Her reputation as an art teacher, her understanding of curriculum development, her ties to community stakeholders, and her quality as an artist makes her an asset to our company.
