AS220 Youth and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts are collaborating to present the Annual Youth State Art Exhibit at the Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill, a gallery space managed by the State Arts Council and located in the state's main administration building. The show will run from January 17th to March 8th 2013 and includes the work of more than 50 young artists from around Rhode Island.
A free public reception honoring the student artists will be held at the Atrium Gallery on Thursday evening, January 17 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm.
AS220 Youth is a free arts education program that serves young people ages 14-21, with a special focus on those in the care and custody of the State. AS220 Youth has three teaching sites: our downtown Providence studio, UCAP middle school, and the Rhode Island Training School, the State's juvenile detention facility. The work in the exhibit was produced by youth at the three sites, through independent and collaborative projects.
In 2012, AS220 Youth received the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award and was recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama for using engagement in the arts and to increase academic achievement, graduation rates, and college enrollment, as well as improve literacy and language abilities, communication and performance skills, and cultural awareness.
During the 2011-2012 school year, AS220 Youth provided arts education to more than 600 youth and employed 42 in summer employment. An additional 28 young people participated in internships at the studio that led to portfolio development, higher education, and professional work in the community. Some describe the program as "an art making factory," and certainly the Atrium Gallery show is evidence of the collective creative energy at AS220 Youth.
With their artwork AS220 Youth students have collectively created a portrait of the state of Rhode Island. Through artistic mediums as simple as graphite pencil, to images made with computer imaging software our students have learned over time to master technical achievement and give voice to their own lives. "United," one of our Hip Hop groups, has written and performed a song about bullying while their counterparts choreograph their own dances. Our young photographers have pushed the boundaries of digital photography with fabulous light drawings while others have enlarged traditional black and white photographs documenting their own experience.
The Atrium Gallery is located in One Capitol Hill, the state's main administration building, and is managed by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. It is open weekdays from 8:00am to 5:00pm, and closed on all State holidays.
About the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders.
About the Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill
The Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill was developed to exhibit the work of Rhode Island artists in the State Capitol Complex. It hosts exhibits on a rotating basis, in partnership with several state agencies & organizations. The art gallery enhances Capitol Hill as a destination point for visitors, as well as for the many people who visit Administration offices or attend conferences at One Capitol Hill. It also enriches the work environment for the hundreds of state workers who spend their workday in the building.