Reclaiming Space for Young Artists in the Professional Gallery Exhibition
The Artistic Design and Research teams at foundry10 set out to discover what happens when young artists have the opportunity to showcase and sell artwork while networking with other artists in a professional gallery setting.
By Sydney Parker
Despite decades of research validating the cognitive and social value of arts education on the developing mind, youth arts programs are often the first to go when schools make budget cuts. In an effort to add to the body of evidence in support of youth arts programs, the Artistic Design and Research teams at foundry10 set out to discover what happens when young artists are provided the opportunity to showcase and sell artwork while networking with other artists in a professional gallery setting. The result was an unforgettable experience.
For the 2019 iteration of Everyday Unseen, we put out a call for artists ages 13 to 19 from all over the Seattle area. Youth submitted comics, zines, paintings, short films, music, and choreographed dances for a one night spectacular exhibition at Gallery Axis in Pioneer Square.
The theme was “Reclaiming Space.” The young artists took literal and figurative inspiration from the theme, covering the venue in paintings, drawing and mixed-media creations. Foundry10 opened the exhibition with eclectic dance and musical performances.
To evaluate the utility and value of the program to youth, foundry10 researchers surveyed the students with the following questions. Their responses were insightful and creative, providing a valuable roadmap for where to take the program next.
Describe The Gallery
Describe your experience at the gallery using a smell, a taste, a sound, and/or an object that reminds you of what it was like to participate. (“This event was like…”)
… spicy food that’s really yummy — it was scary because of my work being on display and having to be around people, and rewarding for those reasons too.
This event was like mashed potatoes. warm, tasty and a lot of fun!
This event was like fresh rain.
This event was like a cool urban vibe.
This event was like a big door to the world for me!
a shot of espresso
This event was like a carnival at night. The environment was so amazing, cheerful, exciting, but also calm.
It was great. I think of sour grapes maybe but not in a bad way.
In the most simple of terms , it was like a glass of flavored water that I haven’t tasted before, but was full, refreshing, and new, but all around wonderful.
This event was like as if i am a professional.
Understanding of the arts
All youth said that their participation in the gallery helped them gain an appreciation for further studying the arts. Almost all youth said that their experience in the gallery contributed to their understanding about the arts (visual art, dance, film, music, theater, or other), two students responded by saying they weren’t sure if this was true for them.
What did they learn through their participation in the gallery?
Sharing your work is scary but fun
i think showing my work has helped me gain much more confidence in showing off and explaining my work!
How it felt like to talk about my artwork in front of a crowd.
Taking risks can help you grow as an artist
That doing things out of my comfort zone is exciting
Professional skills (time management, sales, presenting, networking, etc…)
I learned again about time management when creating artwork
I know from friends i met in the gallery a little more about how to network.
Confidence
As a newer artist who had very little experience , this event installed a new confidence in regards to how I express both my creativity and my art. I learned a lot about working under a deadline, taking new risks, and know what I now would do differently if given the change to experience a gallery again. The resources they provided exceeded my expectations and I am beyond grateful!
Impact of participating in the gallery on other aspects of student life
All youth reported that after participating in the gallery their ability / willingness to engage in certain activities either increased or stayed the same. No youth reported a decrease.
All Youth Deserve Arts Programming
Through this gallery experience, youth gained critical artistic, social, and professional life skills. This encourages us to continue building opportunities for youth to fully engage with the arts as artists themselves. As long as youth arts programming remains underfunded and undervalued, many young creatives will miss out on these essential enrichment experiences. We hope that the results of our research inspire continued support for art-based youth programming.
Learn more about foundry10 Artistic Design programming and research and how you can get involved on the foundry10 website.
