Community Art Experience

Children use up all the paper and tape in the house. They scribble with markers until they are bone-dry and could care less about saving their ink for a better, more important project. They also don’t judge themselves and aren’t filled with worry about their results being “good” or “bad”.

Around age 13 we start to judge ourselves. We assume our art will not be good and don’t take up “space”… space with our use of art materials or space with our thoughts and opinions.

At the fair, we had five canvases for all ages to respond to a prompt, and then one canvas for ages 13+ to encourage them to “take up space”.

After participants had a paintbrush forced into their hands and they allowed themselves to create, they said things like “wow, I feel better now”, “I needed that”, and “that was surprisingly satisfying”.

YBH was created to remove barriers to the creation and publishing process for youth- so they could inspire each other and the world.

We loved seeing people of all ages take part in creating and experience the joy of the process.

“Man is a thinking reed but his great works are done when he is not calculating and thinking. ‘Childlikeness’ has to be restored…”

–D. T. Suzuki

Check out the gallery opening for these meaningful pieces of art this Friday, March 6, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Edwardsville Art Center where they will be for sale. All proceeds go toward funding the mission of Youth Be Heard and the Edwardsville Art Center.

Here is a preview of each piece! Check out more on our Instagram page: @youth.be.heard

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