Youth at Risk: Tumbleweed Printmaking Project

Since 1972, the Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development has served homeless and at-risk youth in Maricopa County by helping them understand and achieve their individual potential. Recently, the organization teamed up with the Arizona Museum for Youth and Essential Theatre of Tempe to offer 20 young people the opportunity to learn printmaking methods from artist-in-residence Damian Charette.

�The students were very eager and willing to learn and express themselves,� says Charette. �I�m amazed at their ability to grasp a new art technique within a short time and create prints using their own life as a source of inspiration.�

As a result of this collaborative pilot program, each of the participating youths created monotype prints to display at an exhibition entitled �Youth at Risk: Tumbleweed Printmaking Project,� which will open Saturday, April 21 in the Arizona Museum for Youth�s South Gallery.

The printmaking workshops were funded in part through a grant from the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture and were held at the museum in February. The Arizona Museum for Youth, dedicated to developing and presenting accessible art museum experiences to children and families, worked with Tumbleweed staff and members of Essential Theatre, a multicultural ensemble of performing artists, to highlight the transformative power of creativity.

Being a part of this program was a profound opportunity to learn about the participants� lives and their artistic visions, says museum curator Jeffory Morris.

�AMY is committed to exhibiting artwork that celebrates the human condition by highlighting the work that this organization does to improve the lives of children who are at risk in our community,� he says.

Located at 35 N. Robson in downtown Mesa, the Arizona Museum for Youth is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 12 p.m. through 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for everyone 1 year of age and over.� A place to introduce your family to art, this fine art museum for children and families hosts several changing exhibitions each year and features ArtVille for kids under 4. As part of the exhibitions, a dynamic array of art classes, fun workshops and family programs are available to teach art principles and techniques.�

Please visit www.arizonamuseumforyouth.com or call 480.644.2468 for current information.�