Staff Reports | Happenings & Events
Opening Oct. 16, “Club Creatives” features young artists from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale who engaged with contemporary art through a series of workshops.
Organized by Taylor Samuels, community engagement coordinator for Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, the exhibition highlights a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale that has served youth participants for more than a decade.
Club Creatives is an after-school arts program that provides art workshops and museum experiences for youth organizations. Led by professional teaching artists, participants explore a range of artistic techniques, experiment with new materials and develop their artistic voices through hands-on learning. The exhibition is part of a partnership between Scottsdale Arts and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, according to a press release.
“I think it’s important to have guidance,” Taylor Samuels, community engagement coordinator for Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, said. “A lot of things at the Boys & Girls Clubs are full-cycle. Oftentimes they’ll enter at a young age and stay through their teenage years, and they’ll then go on to be great adults. Hopefully this program can guide and inspire them to see what their futures can look like.”
The artwork featured in “Club Creatives” includes pieces created by teens from the Hartley & Ruth Barker Branch and the Vestar Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. During a two-week summer arts camp, participants took part in artist-led workshops focused on imaginative exploration, civic engagement through the arts and leadership development.
Each artwork reflects the interests, ideas and vision of its artist. With guidance from professional teaching artists, students explored new techniques and learned how to bring their ideas to life. Together, the works highlight collaboration and the unique perspectives of the young artists.
“Being an artist means expressing myself through a variety of art mediums,” Elizabeth Ramirez Jimenez, a participating Boys & Girls Clubs member, said. “My emotions, along with my appreciation for our ecosystems and wildlife, inspire my artwork. This camp has allowed me to grow my love for art, meet new artists and work with my classmates.”
Another club member, Katelyn Gifford, said the artwork she created during the program was inspired by her emotions and experiences with her body.
“Creating art allows me to express myself and be my own muse,” Ms. Gifford said. “I hope my work encourages others to embrace self-expression and become their own muse.”
Through the exhibition, Ms. Samuels said she was encouraged by the growth of the students and the connections they formed with teaching artists. Students entered the program with ideas for the work they wanted to create, and with support from artists including Kelsey Phillips, Li Rothrock, Victoria Wanjuhi, and Robert Esler and Lisa Tolentino of UrbanSTEW, they developed the artwork featured in “Club Creatives.”
“I’m excited for the students to be celebrated,” Ms. Samuels said. “I think it’s a wonderful thing to have a space to exhibit their artwork and for the students to showcase their hard work. It’ll be such a positive way to end this program, and I hope they’ll want to do it again.”
