This fall, we gathered as eighteen teen apprentices and two instructors three times a week from all sides of the City of Chicago, with special representation from the South and West sides of the city.

 

This semester our discussions and art-making focused on the theme of "communities." We discussed the histories and contemporary stories of the Chicago neighborhoods where teens live. What do we notice about the resources available in our neighborhoods? What are the similarities and differences across neighborhoods? What parts of our communities bring us joy and safety?

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We also learned about the history of the Art Institute and discussed ways to transform and decolonize its power structures. We visited culturally Black and Brown art institutions such as the South Side Community Arts Center and YolloLab in Pilsen. We hosted youth organizations from the South and West sides of Chicago to make art together, network, and visit the museum's galleries. 

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Out of our conversations and visits, teen apprentices put together tours of artworks in the museum's collection and made artworks with collage, sculpture, painting, experimental watercolor, weaving, and painting, and composed poetry and hip hop. 

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¡La cultura cura! Art and culture heal. We have experienced the soothing qualities of art-making and its power as a means to convey narratives.