Tonight • 6-8 p.m.

This evening, March 12, Mean Mug Coffee Company is hosting a new art exhibition featuring two young artists from the RCCC S.O.A.R. program.
Mean Mug, 110 N. Main St., celebrates the art and photography of artists Renee Rasile and Kathy Osterhus with a meet-the-artists reception, which is free and open to the public with light refreshments provided.

Kathy’s interest in photography dates back years, with a gift for photographing people, pets, and pretty sunrises. In 2019, Kathy won second place in the Rowan Big Ideas for her new digital photography business, Special Shots: Pictures with Purpose. Half of all revenue generated by her business goes to organizations that support the intellectually challenged. Kathy’s portfolio includes pictures of children, animals, sunrises, sunsets and landscapes.

Renee is a dreamer, creator, traveler and accomplished painter. Her gift with paintbrush and canvas, since she was 5 years old, blends strong strokes, bold color, and a flair for modern art. Her work centers on themes of the strong, feminine spirit; the friends, goddesses, and matriarchs we all know — the women that came before us.

Renee and Kathy are part of the SOAR program at RCCC. SOAR stands for Skills, Opportunity, Awareness, Readiness, and is a community college program designed specifically for adults with intellectual disabilities. The focus of the program is on helping the individual become more independent and self-directing by acquiring basic literacy and life skills needed to function successfully in daily living. Renee and Kathy are part of the SOAR program at Mean Mug Coffee Co., using their experience at the coffee shop, garnering more life skills and a sense of purpose.