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✨2025 (&2024) HIGHLIGHTS✨
Space for Art Foundation ~ Impact Report
Dear Friends of the Space for Art Foundation ~
Happy New Year! It’s been two years since our last impact report (Nicole accepts the blame!), and in that time, a lot of great work has been accomplished.
In 2025, Space for Art marked its seventh year as an official 501(c)(3), though our story truly began a decade ago. In 2015, shortly after Nicole retired from NASA, a meeting at the Johnson Space Center led to a single introduction that sparked years of creative cooperation—work that has grown into a global movement thanks to your belief and generosity. We invite you to experience that journey through our 15-minute Space for Art documentary (here), and we look forward to celebrating our 'official' 10-year anniversary together in 2028.
We've had another great couple of years!
Our Artonaut, Organization, and Global community has continued to grow as we bring more projects to life. We're now up to ~
Because of your support, we have continued our work alongside inspirational children and partner organizations around the world, and have expanded global participation, deepened partnerships, and found new, creative ways to share our Space for Art story ~ always reminding us of the profound connection between personal and planetary health, and our shared role as crewmates on our planetary spaceship.
Together, we were especially proud to:
– Share our award-winning documentary at film festivals and inspiring venues worldwide;
– Deepen global partnerships through projects like Art Spacesuits, Island Astronaut Camps, Piccadilly big-screen activations, and Aim Higher creations;
– Curate exhibitions celebrating the children’s artwork alongside donated works by extraordinary artists;
– Debut the INFINITY Art Spacesuit ~ thanks to OMEGA Watches and for the incredible talent and support from ILC Dover;
– Fly more children’s artwork to space through Club for the Future; and
– Support independent space-themed art and wellness programs in communities around the world.
We continue to work hard as responsible stewards of the Space for Art funds and projects in our care, and we remain a fully volunteer-based organization. We are always open to any questions you might have about the organization, its operations, and finances. You can find our 2024 IRS Form 990 here.
A couple activities going on now that you can take part in:
Please add your picture to our Space for Art Celebration Mosaic ~ link here
If you're in Florida, please visit the latest Space for Art Exhibit currently on display in the STEAM Fusion Gallery at the Orlando Science Center.
(Now thru April 4, 2026). If you can't get there in person, please take a virtual tour (coming soon). And you can check out this wonderful article about the exhibit ~ "The Design Tourist ~ Space For Art: Inside Orlando Science Center’s Most Human Exhibit"
You need a Space for Art tshirt! We've had lots of requests for our tshirts ~ so now, thanks to our wonderful friends at Space Shirts (THE tshirt company for the space coast!) we are pleased to offer them for sale in support of the foundation. Get yours here
Please follow along with us ~
Subscribe to our mailing list by emailing us art@spaceforartfoundation.org
Thanks again for being on this Space for Art adventure with us!
We're very proud of the work we're doing ~ these accomplishments reflect what’s possible when creativity, compassion, and community come together.
We hope you'll read on to learn more about the past year's highlights. We're grateful to have you with us on our space, art and healing mission and all that’s to come in 2026.
With gratitude ~ Your Space for Art Crew ~ Nicole, Maria, David, and Christina
🚀 🎨 🌎 💖
Space for Art is an award-winning short documentary that we are incredibly proud of, and we are grateful to our dear friends, the Potter's (also the film's talented producers) for recognizing the importance of sharing the Space for Art story. We've really enjoyed the opportunity to take the film on the road, to film festivals and inspiring venues around the world. Check out the film and more of our film screening adventure.
impact - film
We hope you've noticed that across all of our projects there are common themes of space, art, and wellness; of the interconnectivity between personal and planetary health; and how important it is for us to accept our role as crewmates, not passengers, on our planetary spaceship. Something we've really benefitted from since the beginning of our work as Space for Art is the power of partnerships. How much more we can accomplish when we work together as a crew made up of different people and organizations and the talents they bring with them. We have been very fortunate to work with some amazing partners from around the world. All with a focus on purpose and all on a mission to help bring the kid's artwork to life in meaningful ways ~ creating hope through action. Learn more about some of our partners in purpose.
impact - partners
Island Astronaut Camps and Aim Higher Giant Artworks
Island Astronaut Camps and Aim Higher Giant Artworks are two of the most joyful and adventurous ways we connect with children around the world. Through these immersive experiences—made possible by our partnership with Space for a Better World and our friends at Play by COMO—children are invited to imagine boldly, create freely, and see themselves as explorers of both Earth and space.
Alongside each art project, we intentionally weave in the powerful connection between personal and planetary health through hands-on conservation efforts such as coral restoration, beach cleanups, and mangrove planting.
Over the past two years, this spirit of curiosity and creativity has carried us to inspiring places near and far, including New Mexico, London, the Maldives, Turks & Caicos, Jersey (both Old Jersey and New Jersey!), Oxford, and Montana.
We believe it's essential to share the children’s art in as many meaningful ways as possible, and one of the most impactful ways we do this is through both large- and small-scale exhibitions. From intimate displays featuring an Art Spacesuit at a film screening, to curated, large-scale exhibitions with multiple artists at world-class venues, we are committed to showcasing the children’s artwork in diverse and creative formats. These include physical exhibitions, Postcards to Space through Club for the Future, large-scale mosaic artworks on the Piccadilly Lights big screen, documentary storytelling, interactive art experiences, and immersive virtual tours.
These past 2 years we've had the opportunity to showcase the children's artwork around the world with a powerful focus on our Ocean Planet, the interconnectivity of sea and space, and our role as crewmates on our planetary spaceship.
impact - exhibit
We are incredibly grateful to Club for the Future for giving our children the amazing opportunity to fly their artwork to space. Through Postcards to Space, children around the world get to imagine, create, and see their art soar beyond Earth—and we love that much of this work is shared again through our exhibitions in a variety of physical and digital formats. It’s a beautiful, joyful reminder of what’s possible when creativity knows no bounds. 🚀🎨
impact - club
Some Special Extras 🚀🎨
Our own Maria Lanas has compiled the beautiful story of some highlights of her experience so far with the Space for Art Foundation. She's called this compilation, journal or blog if you will, "Before I Forget Stories." We are happy that she has taken the time to remember these moments herself. They've brought back wonderful memories for our whole team and we're happy to be able to share them here with all of you too. Enjoy!
Art and Science: the Perfect Combination ~
Stories of Space for Art projects by our friend Sebastián Musso in Argentina
Sebastián Musso, part of the Space for Art Foundation community in Argentina, has always believed in the power of art as a tool to communicate science. In 2019, for the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, he organized an exhibition of paintings that were displayed in various venues in Mar del Plata, La Plata, San Martín de los Andes, and Tupungato (Argentina), and in Antofagasta (Chile), through 2024. Art galleries, science museums, cafés, planetariums, or vineyards all became settings for a combination of art celebrating science and space exploration — and the latter becoming even more beautiful through art. This has continued through 2025 with more art and science projects on analog space missions, postcards to space, and plans for an Argentinean "Base Galileo". See more of the story here.
Musso
Creative Wellness Practices ~ Together with our friends at Seattle Children's Hospital
We've had the opportunity to work with some very talented and caring people at the different children's hospitals around the world. One of those people is board-certified music therapist Tanesha Ross at the Seattle Children's Hospital. Tanesha has worked with the children at the hospital several times in support of Space for Art projects, and when we were in Seattle last year she hosted us at the hospital for a Postcards to Space art session with the children. We were also joined by Lucas Sonier from Blue Origin's Club for the Future, and local astronauts Soyeon Yi and Chris Sembroski.
In concert with the Space for Art Foundation, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and local Seattle retirement communities, Maria continues to advance her mission to support the growing field of Art and Wellness. As a co-creation with Tanesha, this work is taking shape through an intergenerational art and music project, bringing to life some wonderfully creative and engaging art and wellness activities for all ages, which will be put into action later this year.
MOZAIC is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering refugees, women, and children in the DC, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area. Since launching their programs in 2016, their mission has been to help newcomers build strong foundations within their communities so they can feel at home, develop their talents, and move toward self-sufficiency as they contribute to their new society. The foundation is deeply committed to creating meaningful opportunities that highlight the abilities, creativity, and wealth of knowledge within these communities. The Space for Art Foundation has been working with MOZAIC since 2023, bringing creative, space-themed programming to the children they serve.
impact - mozaic1
We're very proud of the incredibly positive and impactful work that our friends at UNITY Movement Foundation continue to creatively launch and bring to life for their community. Over the nine years of their programming, UNITY collected artwork from more than 4,000 children battling cancer in 15 different countries including the US (children from Space for Art), Russia, Bolivia, Zambia, Serbia, Belgium, Armenia, Switzerland, France, England, Germany, Brazil, Pakistan, and Iran. Their drawings — filled with hope, dreams, and visions of the universe — were transformed into a massive collage applied directly onto the exterior of a Soyuz launch vehicle. On November 27, 2025, all were sent to space along with the Soyuz MS28 crew bound for the International Space Station.
UNITY President Alena Kuzmenko said: “The Art Rocket Project is about the power of human dreams — and how they help us keep going. Children who face medical challenges every day sent their hopes into space, together and beyond borders. When the rocket carried their drawings into the sky, a part of their fear went with it. What came instead was belief — in life, in the future, and in the strength of human unity.”
Sergey Kud’-Sverchkov, commander of the Soyuz flight, shared on his social media:“Our rocket has become a symbol of optimism, perseverance, and kindness. Over the past several years, the UNITY Foundation and I have visited dozens of pediatric and adult oncology centers in different countries. It is real, meaningful work: we created art with children and adults, supported them in their hospital rooms, and promised that we would try to connect their drawings with space. It sounds so unusual that many adults take it as a joke. But the number of drawings kept growing, and so did our determination to send them into space. And now, thanks to the efforts of the specialists at the Progress Rocket and Space Center and Roscosmos—true magicians—we have one of the most colorful rockets ever standing on the launch pad, covered with children’s artwork, each piece carrying a story of illness, life, faith, and hope. It is a tremendous joy and honor for me to take these drawings with me. As we promised to the young patients: their dreams are going to space!”
From concept to reality - we at the Space for Art Foundation are grateful for this partnership in purpose and have loved watching the Rocket of Dreams take flight!!! 🚀🎨
Art in Action
Grateful is a word we are fortunate to have the opportunity to express a lot. Nicole is an ambassador for OMEGA Watches and she is grateful for the relationship with the wonderful OMEGA family. If you recall from the story of the INFINITY art spacesuit, you will know that OMEGA has also been a wonderful partner to the work of the Space for Art Foundation.
At an OMEGA event last year at the beautiful Sharif & Co boutique in Sacramento, CA we were surprised by a generous gift from the Sharif team and the amazing talent of artist David Garibaldi. Live on stage, David painted a beautiful art astronaut ~ the art was auctioned ~ and to our surprise, all of the proceeds were donated to the Space for Art Foundation. We are grateful!!
Thank you for spending time with our Space for Art stories!
We're looking forward to more awesomeness in 2026!
The Space for Art Foundation is a Registered U.S. 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization, EIN 83-1005213
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