The Inside Out -Youth Mural Project

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

A collaborative public art project engages young artists from The Kent Bellows Studio and detained youth from the Douglas County Youth Center (DCYC.) Twenty teenagers, from high schools work directly with 20 resident youths in the DCYC in the form of interviews, discussions and art activities. Phase 1 of the project, the Kent Bellows students conduct creative writing and drawing workshops with the DCYC residents. The discussions in these workshops include questions such as: "Who is always there for you?" and "What are we trying to say with our art?" The answers to these questions and others provide ideas & inspirations for visual elements that can uncover and express the creative voice of the detention center residents. The Kent Bellows Studio students work with their mentors during Phase 2 to create a series of 10' x 10' paintings that blend the voice of the youth residents with the artistic visions of the young artists. Phase 3 is installing the murals onto the exterior DCYC walls. The entire project cost $20,000. This includes $1,000 for each of the 20 murals to cover paint, supplies, installation and an honorarium for the adult mentor; all funding is from individuals and private sector donations. The outcomes have been rewarding and encouraging: 1) The public-private partnership becomes a model program emphasizing the importance of creative fundraising and collaboration; 2) Cooperation among the county and private partners has had impacts on youths' lives while contributing to aesthetic enhancement of the county. 3) For our young artists, this is an opportunity to work on a real public art project, from inspiration to execution. Youth Center teens, it is a rare and invaluable chance to make themselves heard through art and encourage them to continue making art a part of their lives.