Forworld Studios x Youth Diversion ArtFest

We have launched a collaborative, land-based arts education program for at-risk youth in partnership with Youth Diversion and the Kingston Window Art Gallery. We are Forworld Studios Artist Collective, a group of 6 young community artists looking to create an inclusive, sustainable and accessible art scene in Kingston. The program consists of one or two workshops per week that are free and open to all youth in need of a safe space, with a culminating art gallery show at the Window Art Gallery for youth to see their work on display.

Our program runs from May-June at Youth Diversion and Douglas Fluhrer Park. It has already started; we've had an amazing 'Creative Zone' workshop and tomorrow we're hosting an afternoon paint day led by artists Francisco Corbett and Cat Rose. We are student-centred; meaning we let youth lead using their own creative imagination, and we adjust our programming based on youth interest. We create alongside and with the youth, sharing artistic ideas and new ways of getting messy and creative. A big part of our workshops is learning about and expressing oneself through art. We hope to forge connections between youth, instill a lasting love for the arts, and maintain a safe space that youth can be active creators of and participants in. Our first workshop had lots of laughs, and we hope to continue and strengthen this atmosphere in our programming. We have talked with other organizations like the Boys and Girls Club and Kingston School of Art, who have indicated interest in running this program in the future in-house to continue building on the work we're doing.

The artists participating in this program are listed below:
- Cat Rose (lead)
- Francisco Corbett
- William Carroll
- Justin Andre
- Michaela Zinsmeister

Подкрепен от Kingston (May 2022)