The Junior Urban Arts Academy will target Middle school youth in Wilmington to expose them to various forms of urban art. They will be taught once a week by our current youth in the Urban Arts Academy (ages 16-21) by teaching the middle school youth curriculum such as graffiti, wheat pasting, elements of can control, lettering, characterization, color concepts and other themes that are relative to the production of this newly developing art form.

The Urban Arts Academy was started 3 years ago to engage at risk youth in Wilmington who were taggers, tag-bangers and in gangs to give them a positive and productive outlet using graffiti arts. These youth have continued to learn various elements of graffiti and have completed murals within Wilmington and South Los Angeles. The youth are highly skilled and attend a formal training program developing their artistic, graphic design and editing skills. These youth are ready and willing to give back by teaching the next generation fundamental aspects of what they have learned in the past 3 years.

Program Outline

The Junior Urban Arts Academy will engage 40 middle school youth promoting advocacy, art appreciation, culture and exposure to creativity. These services will be provided throughout the fiscal year of October 2010- October 2011. Urban Arts Youth will recruit middle school youth for the Junior Urban Arts Academy from Wilmington Middle School, local parks, and Wilmington Boys and Girls Club. The youth will meet for on Fridays for two hours that includes a 20-minute lecture on the topic/lesson and the remaining 1 hour and 40 minutes will be comprised of the application of the lesson in a hands- on activity.

We believe the middle school youth will have a greater appreciation for urban and creative arts, be exposed to more diverse art forms, and provide a positive place as an alternative to “hanging out” in the streets of Wilmington.

 

“This program is funded by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 through the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network.”

“Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation, please call (1-800-735-2922) or TTY (1-877-735-2929) at least 72 hours prior to event.”