Guelph, ON – December 14, 2016 – Guelph Arts Council is pleased to announce that the 2016 Youth Opportunities Award will be shared by two applicants who will offer opportunities for Guelph and Wellington County children and youth to become engaged in the arts. The recipients are artist/educator Jessica Jang and Shelldale Better Beginnings, Better Futures.
Jessica requested support for her “Print Power Project!”, which will offer a free, community-based, weekend-long printmaking learning experience for youth aged 14 to 19. Participants will learn various printmaking techniques and skills, including how to make “their own voices heard through print media.” Through both hands-on activities and visits to local creative spaces that foster independent learning, participants will have opportunities to connect with like-minded peers, become aware of local arts-based resources, and work alongside professional artists, all experiences rarely available to this age group.
Shelldale Better Beginnings, Better Futures applied for assistance in offering a new art program for girls in Grades 7 to 12 in the Onward Willow neighbourhood area of high-density housing and a large immigrant and refugee population. Through workshops to enhance their art skills as well as gallery tours in the community, these girls will gain exposure to art that they might not otherwise have had and also be encouraged to remain engaged in neighbourhood programming beyond Grade 6. At the end of the program, they will be able to take home their art supplies and thus continue to hone their artistic talents.
Established in 2009 to take the place of a previous youth awards program dating back to 1982, the Guelph Arts Council Youth Opportunities Award is intended to encourage programs that will initiate, enhance or expand opportunities for Guelph and Wellington County children and youth to experience or become engaged in the arts. Funds for the award come from the Guelph Arts Council Youth Opportunities Fund managed by The Guelph Community Foundation. Guelph Arts Council is grateful to new award sponsor Children’s Art Factory and its owner Melissa Mazar, a previous award recipient, for making it possible for Guelph Arts Council to support two projects this year.
For more information about the award program, contact Guelph Arts Council at 519-836-3280 or [email protected].
Since 1975, Guelph Arts Council has been dedicated to supporting, stimulating, and promoting arts and culture in Guelph. Guelph Arts Council is funded in part by The Guelph Community Foundation and City of Guelph. We also acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
