
Photo by Lauren Miller
Teens, educators, artists, and more convened to exchange and debate ideas about the intersection between teen arts education and social justice. A publication about the 2019 Teen Convening/National will be available for download in late 2020.
Teen Convening Artists Adobo-Fish-Sauce (Anthony Febo and Ricky Orng) performed. Their poems about discovery, healing, and self-preservation through their relationship with food, culture, and heartbreak fed us all, as did their plantains.
Teen delegates from each of the eight participating organizations presented on their distinctive programs and institutions.
This panel explored definitions of social justice, ways to be an advocate, the relationship between social justice and education, ways that institutions can work towards social justice, and more. Panelists Sienna Kwami, Ana Masacote, Danny Rivera, and Mariama White-Hammond shared their truths, stories, challenges, and aspirations.
Organized by teens for teens, this unforgettable evening featured print-making, gallery experiences, teen performances, a fashion show, and more.
Teen Convening Artists Adobo-Fish-Sauce helped us create intentional moments with each other. They invited us to collaborate, think creatively, and solve problems together, as well as to think and create on our own. We reflected on the prior day and deepened our bonds of connection and trust.
After collaboratively generating questions for discussion, teens and educators broke into smaller groups, chose one of the questions, and unpacked it for 45 minutes. They formed new groups and repeated.
Educators and teens divided up to discuss the intersection between teen arts education and social justice from their own perspectives.
The group came back together to share, express gratitude, give affimations, and say farewell for now.
Lead support for Teen Programs provided by Wagner Foundation.
Teen Programs are made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Award Number MA-10-17-0447-17.
Additional support is provided by the Rowland Foundation, Inc.; The Corkin Family; the William E. Schrafft and Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust; The Willow Tree Fund; the Robert Lehman Foundation; the Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee; the Plymouth Rock Foundation; the Jean Gaulin Foundation; and the Thomas Anthony Pappas Charitable Foundation, Inc.