Youth Art Month

Flagstaff Cultural Partners celebrates National Youth Art Month (March) with our annual Youth Celebrate Art & Culture Exhibition and Celebration. Hundreds of local youth participate from every school in the greater Flagstaff area, exhibiting their visual art for the public and performing new works.

The Northern Arizona Youth Poetry Festival is also part of the month-long celebration, on March 27-28, 2009. Read below for details.

Funding for Youth Art Month comes from Arizona Public Service, the Flagstaff Community Foundation, the City of Flagstaff, and private donors.

2009 Youth Art Month Schedule

Exhibition Opening Reception
Youth Celebrate Art & Culture
Performances by local youth groups and schools and treats for the kids!
Saturday, February 28: 12-4pm

Heart Gallery
Saturday, March 7: Opening Reception
for this exhibition of photographs of adoptive youth is from 2-4pm.

Young Voices Be Heard!
Northern Arizona Youth Poetry Festival

Feature Performer:
Jimmy Santiago Baca

March 27-28, 2009
Spoken word festival features readings by professional poets/writers: Jimmy Santiago Baca, Jill Divine, and Christopher Lane. Not to be missed!

Poetry Festival Schedule

Friday, March 27, 7-9pm:
Opening Reception with Readings by Jimmy Santiago Baca, Jill Divine, Christopher Lane and Myrlin Hepworth

Saturday, March 28
10am -11am:
How to Perform Your Poetry: Workshop for local youth with Myrlin Hepworth

11am-12pm:
Creative Writing Exercises: Workshop for local youth with Jill Divine

12pm-1pm:
Getting Published: Workshop for local youth by Christopher Lane

2pm – 4pm:
Living in You, Nature & Writing: Workshop for local youth with Jimmy Santiago Baca

6pm: Local Youth Spoken Word Performances
Jimmy Santiago Baca - Emcee

 

Produced in partnership with:

APS Supports Youth Art Month in Flagstaff

Arizona Public Service (APS) Community Relations Director, Cindy May, and Flagstaff Division Manager, Michael McElmury, presented a $1,500.00 check to Flagstaff Cultural Partners (FCP) Executive Director, John Tannous.

The APS grant funds will support FCP's Youth Art Month programs and events, which directly benefit youth in Flagstaff. The programs sends professional artists to work with many students in direct workshops in the classrooms. Additionally, the program gives local youth both a professional gallery to present their artwork, and a stage to perform before the community.

The Youth Art Month programs at FCP have had many years of success, dating back to the re-opening of the Coconino Center for the Arts in 1999. Nearly every school in the greater Flagstaff community participates in the program.

APS funding in 2009 supports a new program within Youth Art Month: the Northern Arizona Youth Poetry Festival. This project sends professional poets to classrooms to work directly with adolescents in Flagstaff. The students are given the tools to turn their written poetry into spoken word performances - giving the students new ways of expressing themselves in a positive way.

Participating students then have the opportunity to perform their spoken word pieces in front of a community audience at the Coconino Center for the Arts during the Youth Poetry Festival weekend. Acclaimed poets/authors, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Jill Divine, Christopher Lane and Myrlin Hepworth, will participate at the Festival and conduct workshops with local youth on writing, spoken word, and more.

Flagstaff Cultural Partners salutes APS for their support of Youth Art Month and investment in the future of Flagstaff.

Artist Profile: Janeece Henes

As part of our annual celebration of Youth Art Month, Jillian Asplund sat down with art educator, Janeece Henes, to discuss her perspective on art in education. Henes, a recent nominee for a Viola Award for Arts Educator, is a high school teacher at the Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy.

JA: Can you describe your artwork, for those who might not be familiar with it?

JH: Well, since I am an art educator, pinpointing my work isn’t easy. Because I teach 6 different courses at FALA I truly must have a diverse understanding of multiple art disciplines. I majored in ceramics in addition to my BS in art education NAU, and a masters in education, cultural studies, at Ohio University. I would say that I usually dabble more in mixed media, book making, and photography. I truly wish I had more time be an artist, but I see myself as an educator first, artist second. I usually am inspired to make work that I can use as an example or new method to demonstrate to my students. However my work could be described as drawn from nature: birds, trees etc…But I also make work, that is referring to women in a historical context, making folks aware of women’s contribution to our society, through books or other kinds of mixed media.

JA: What are your earliest memories of making art?

JH: Kindergarten. Remember those hand plaster pieces? Or the hand-drawn plates? My mother was very crafty, she sewed our clothes, costumes etc...I would have to say that going to an all girls catholic high school in Philadelphia, the art classroom was my sanctuary. If I didn’t have the art room to express myself I would have gone mad. My art teacher really helped me find my voice in art. Mr. Haugh sent me to several of the art colleges in Philadelphia (Moore & Tyler School of Art) for weekend or summer programs. My high school experience is the reason I am a high school art educator today.

JA: Does working with youth provide you with artistic inspiration or feedback for your own work?

JH: My students totally inspire, many students are born with innate ability and other acquire skills over time. More importantly I know that many may not go one to study art in college, but to have a space to self-express, to creatively problem solve, dialogue and to think critically are very important experiences for young people. I honestly wish I had more of my own art for them to critique. My students teach me on a daily basis, they all come to class with their own unique life experiences that influence their work and open all of our minds. Especially with technology in the 21st century I am also excited to learn new ways of creating and defining art.

JA: What is the best thing about teaching art to high school students?

JH: I strongly believe that the art classroom is a democratic space, where each student has a voice that is communicated in a visual representation. I love to dialogue with students about art, media, visual culture. How the world is becoming increasing more visual and they need to become more visually literate in the 21st century. They need to question, deconstruct the visual world in which they live. I also believe that art can be empowering, that students can use art for awareness of meaningful acts and awareness as well.

JA: What are your top three non-art influences for your art?

JH: Well, my partner Steve Schaeffer is a big influence, he is an artist and has always opened my eyes to experiences that keep me connected to the natural world, things in nature, which is my second influence as well, living in Flagstaff using all of your senses heightens your ability to be creative. Education, influences my art. The social & cultural construction of education in the US influences my art to be a commentary about various social issues & concerns for social justice.

JA: How about your top three influences in the art field?

JH: I strongly feel the more you look at art (however defined) you become a better artist as well. I love to go museums, art exhibits, art installations, and the art:21 series put on PBS continues to inspire and influence my art as well as my students.