ART TO HEART

Natalie Gray has been with the Arts Commission for four years. She attended Toledo School for the Arts, which she credits with fostering her appreciation for the arts.

Calling all Young Artists! Local Program Helps Kids Grow Through Art

By Andrew Kersten

A local program prepares kids for the future while cultivating their artistic abilities. Young Artists at Work (YAAW), offered through The Arts Commission, inspires young artists to make a greater commitment to creativity and to their community, which has a lasting effect as they grow up. Since the program’s inception in 1994, YAAW offers paid summer apprenticeships to area teenagers, allowing them to tap into their creative side and to learn valuable skills to connect to the community through their art.

Natalie Gray has been with The Arts Commission for four years. She attended Toledo School for the Arts which she credits with fostering her appreciation for the arts. “Our young people need to be invested in, and their creativity and confidence need to be nurtured. YAAW is a place where they can blossom and safely be themselves.” Gray, Youth Services Manager at the Arts Commission adds “To see someone start out with us and then watch them mature and grow is amazing.”

“I grew throughout the program as a person and a young artist,” explains Ren Steedley, former apprentice at YAAW. “After the program, I am much more comfortable approaching and striking up a conversation with my peers or strangers,” he adds.

A Summer of Experiences

Summer apprenticeships are six weeks long and usually begin the last week of June and run until the first week of August at the Center for the Visual Arts on the campus of the University of Toledo. During that time, apprentices will spend time working on art projects both individually, and in teams, under the direction of professional artists, art educators and instructors.

“Each team will be working collaboratively on a community-focused project such as murals or videos,” explains Gray. Toward the end of the program, the teens can feature their artwork in a show for the public to purchase.

The mural on 10th St,. facing south, incorporates themes of unity and collaboration. This project was led by former apprentices Jeshua Shuster and Shoshanna Lavetter-Keidan.

Some of the artwork sprinkled throughout Toledo includes the United Way Mural, also led by former apprentices Shuster and Lavetter-Keidan, which beautifies the south wall of the United Way building on Madison Avenue. Discover the Market Street Mural on the outside of the Libbey Glass Factory Outlet off South Erie St. With the help of apprentices, teachers Amanda Gargac and Nick Felaris, completed the mural in just a few weeks.

YAAW is open to teenagers ages 14-18 who earn minimum wage while committing to 30 hours each week on a 9am–4pm schedule. During an average summer, the program enrolls 45 apprentices. Over the past couple of years, the program has seen 60-70 apprentices thanks to a $6 million grant from the City of Toledo’s American Relief Plan dollars.

“This is a fun job where you get to make new friends and as our youth grow up, it’s important for them to surround themselves with people who (are committed and who) care about something,” says Gray.

How to Get Involved

Apprentices can re-apply for the program each summer until they reach their 19th birthday. After aging out, some participants have gone on to become professional artists or to pursue other careers, while some have come back as alumni to continue to work and help with the program.

An application, cover letter, resume and three samples of personal artwork, followed by an interview, are all requirements for admission into the program. Applications for the 2023 program are now open. New and returning applicants can find applications online at theartscommission.org/. All apprenticeship applications are due by March 17, 2023.

Disability identities focus of traveling exhibition at CVA

Swing by the Center for Visual Arts Gallery to view a special traveling exhibition of art from students with disabilities. MERGE, the traveling exhibition from the Kennedy Center, features the work of 15 artists with disabilities that incorporate issues relating to the creative process and disability identity. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the University of Toledo’s Department of Art and the Disability Studies Program. The exhibit is open to the public whenever the Center for the Visual Arts is open. MERGE runs through February 17. 620 Art Museum Drive. 419-530-8300.

Exhibition embraces spectrum of expression

Unruly Hearts / Unruly Arts is on display at 20 North Gallery in downtown Toledo. Unruly Arts, one of the most lively arts studios in the region, is an organization that offers artists with disabilities the opportunity to express themselves through a variety of media. From wearables to large paintings on canvas, a broad representation of the studio’s creations will be on display and available for purchase. The show at 20 North continues through March 25. 18 N. St. Clair St., Toledo. 419-241-2400. 20northgallery.com/

Dashing in the snow

Hudson Gallery’s winter exhibition is open for much of the month. A Winter Group opens on Friday, February 3 with a reception from 5-8pm, in conjunction with the Red Bird Arts District’s regular First Friday Art Walk. The exhibition is an eclectic mix of styles and media featuring local, regional and national artists, including Constadena Mandros, whose work “The Heart of the Matter” is pictured above. 2D works on paper and canvas alongside 3D works in ceramic and glass will fill the gallery. The common thread in all these works is the relatable sensation of fresh, contemporary expression. The show continues through February 25. 5645 N. Main St., Sylvania. 419-885-8381. hudsongallery.net/

Art Events

Athena Art Society Spring Show

A non-juried art exhibit featuring the talented Toledo area women artists of the Athena Art Society. Runs through March 31. Walter E. Terhune Art Gallery at Owens Community College, 7270 Biniker Dr., Perrysburg. athenaartsociety.org

SUNDAY 5

Letterpress Greeting Card Workshop

Daily

Matt Wedel: Phenomenal Debris

Monumental, colorful, and expressive, Matt Wedel’s ceramics are a full celebration of what’s possible with clay. Matt Wedel: Phenomenal Debris brings together a large selection of the artist’s ceramics and drawings spanning over a decade of his career. Wedel is renowned in his field for pushing the boundaries of ceramics, resulting in objects that recall familiar forms while also springing from his own imagination. The exhibition marks the first large-scale solo show for the artist in a major art museum. Runs through April 2, 2023. Toledo Museum of Art, 2445 Monroe St., 419-255-8000. Toledomuseum.org

Unruly Hearts / Unruly Arts

An exhibit of lively artworks across mediums, created by the artists of Toledo-based studio, Unruly Arts. From intricate patterns on wearable art to large, non-representational paintings on canvas, the show will highlight the expansive variety of mediums and styles in which the artists specialize as they embrace art-making free from restrictions. Runs through March 25, 2023. 20 North Gallery, 18 N. St. Clair St. 20northgallery.com

Inspired by TMA’s art collection, students in this class will learn how to print their own greeting cards for holidays and special occasions, discovering how to set letters and designs to create their own series of letterpress prints. Also on Thursday, Feb. 9, 6-9pm. $40 members, $45 non-members. 2-5pm. Toledo Museum of Art, 2445 Monroe St., 419-255-8000. Toledomuseum.org

THURSDAY 16

Fused Glass: Lucky Horseshoe

Make a lucky horseshoe with a clover for extra luck. No experience necessary and all supplies included. $40. 5:30-7:30pm. The 577 Foundation, 577 East Front St., Perrysburg. 577foundation.org

THURSDAY 23

Uncork & Unwind: Winter

Landscapes Celebrate wintertime with a two-hour guided painting class. No experience is necessary for this winterinspired landscape painting. $25. 5:30-7:30. Brookwood Metropark, 5604 Swan Creek Dr. metroparkstoledo.com