SPLASH is a free youth arts workshop.

Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, we are a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through access to quality, no-cost arts education. Serving urban youth, families, and seniors, we offer year-round workshops using the creative process as a tool for personal growth, skill development, and social connection. Through disciplines such as painting, drawing, and collage, we foster creativity,

self-confidence, and resilience in the populations we serve. Our mission is to ensure that underserved youth and their families have equitable access to meaningful arts experiences. We partner with schools, daycare centers, and community programs to provide consistent, high-impact instruction in visual arts. SPLASH is dedicated to nurturing the imagination of every child, building stronger communities through the arts, and creating pathways for long-term arts engagement and subsequent wellbeing.

We’re proud to be a consistent presence in the Hamilton County Juvenile Center, offering weekly arts sessions that give young people a positive outlet for self-expression and growth. SPLASH believes art should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age.

Here, we empower youth to find their voices through artistic exploration. Additionally, every Friday night, SPLASH brings art-making and a hot meal to families at the McClelland Shelter for Families, providing comfort and creativity in a supportive environment.

At SPLASH, we’re committed to making arts enrichment available to our Chattanooga community and have a free regular weekly pop-up art-class for all ages, at the Main Library, downtown Chattanooga.

Whether you're a child or adult picking up a paintbrush for the first time or rediscovering your love of art, SPLASH is here with guided art-making to help you connect with your creative potential.

Meet The Founders

SPLASH was founded by professional artists: Charlie and Iantha Newton who are committed to seeing young lives changed through the power of art.

SPLASH works with local kids from under served, often high-crime areas to mitigate some of the "at-risk" factors that negatively impact their lives.

Director/Lead Artist Mr. Newton, featured in this video, grew up in government housing in a low-income community and now embraces the opportunity to “give back” through SPLASH. “I am looking for little 'Charlie Newtons',” he says. “Art lifted me above my environment and afforded me a college education."

Our program uses art to create an atmosphere of support where instruction in visual arts and mentoring in social skills can take place. SPLASH is proud to serve urban youth with free arts enrichment right here in Chattanooga, Tennessee.