A message from our Exec. Director, a graffiti workshop, and more! 🎨

From our Executive Director: how ArtsConnection is thoughtfully moving into the future

“We are the future” by Teen Programs alumni Jason P., featured in our Teens Curate Teens exhibit, “The Unsounded Path” which responded to the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

Dear ArtsConnection community,

As we come to the end of Black History Month, ArtsConnection recognizes the importance of continually educating ourselves year-round. Change is a verb and our commitment to upholding EDIA values is an ongoing organization-wide effort.

In Februrary, our Community Care – Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (C-IDEA) committee, an internal group composed of diverse representatives from every department of ArtsConnection, including our Teaching Artist Advisory Board, undertook the task of conducting an equity audit for the organization. The results of that audit will help us update our EDIA values statement, and inform our organization’s next action steps to ensure continual growth and learning as an anti-racist community of young people, artists, educators, and administrators.

Onwards and upwards,
Rachel Watts, Executive Director

AC Teens begin virtual Graffiti Workshop

 Photo of Graffiti 101 Teaching Artist, Carlos Martinez.

This week, high-schoolers begin Graffiti 101, ArtsConnection’s latest skill-building workshop taught by Carlos Martinez, AKA Feegz. Students will learn the basics of fonts and the rich history of graffiti in New York City. From there, they’ll develop an artistic project of their choosing which utilizes these tools. The workshop meets over Zoom and is the first of a series of workshops which have been extended to five sessions to provide more in-depth learning opportunities for students during out-of-school hours.

Upcoming Teen Programs skill-building workshops include
Self-Care: Mixed-Media Visual Arts and Coding with Javascript.