Boston, MA
A nationally recognized apprenticeship program that empowers artists, giving them the skills and knowledge needed for a successful career in the fine or commercial arts.
In 1991, Susan Rodgerson took the principles learned from making collaborative paintings from Boston's diverse communities and turned it into what is now known as Artists for Humanity (AFH), a nationally recognized arts organization. The premise that drives this organization is that skills equals power and opportunity. AFH is a four year paid apprenticeship program where teens and artists from a range of commercial and fine arts backgrounds learn how to create and sell their services. It is also a place where youth are nurtured and given an opportunity to be empowered and realize their potential as future role models and leaders in America. Damon Butler, AFH Co-founder, alumnus, and current AFH Assistant Artistic Director said, "Artists For Humanity gave me a voice when no one else would give me a thought."
Nuts and Bolts:
- AFH has three primary goals: to create a safe meaningful place where they are respected for their contributions, to provide an opportunity to have a voice through exhibitions, commercial services, and public presentations, and to provide the responsibility of paid employment that promotes their own economic development and a springboard to postsecondary opportunities.
- These goals are fulfilled through courses in graphic design, photography, theatre design, and painting.
- Skills learned from these courses then become honed for real-world experience through the Youth-Run Arts Micro-Enterprise program.
- Students have clients that they must listen and respond to; however, the creative process through which the final product is created is the primary focus of AFH.
- AFH's recently "green-designed" EpiCenter contains permanent office and studio space, a state-of-the-art gallery and a performance center with 500-seating capacity that will altogether enhance AFH's mission of arts for social change.
Successes:
- Each year AFH serves hundreds of students from low-income backgrounds.
- These 14-18 year olds represent a diverse range of heritages, including African American, Asian, Caucasian, Latino, Haitian, Middle Eastern and Brazilian.
- Overall, 90% of graduates from the program further their educational and work skills. 100% of graduates from the 2001-2002 school year completed high school and are now attending college.
- This program has been recognized numerous times, earning a 2001 Coming Up Taller Award from the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities.
- They were also featured in Shirley Brice Heath's ArtShow and ArtShow 2 Grow, documentaries on the impact of arts on youth, and were recognized as one of the four model youth arts programs in the country.
- Their success has been documented by Stanford University, who studied their small business model in comparison to other social service models.
How can you do it?
- This program focuses on a specific audience of youth ages 14-18 in their community of South Boston, MA. Selecting a narrow age range allows for a concentrated effort.
- AFH's commitment to promoting respect and a voice for its participants seems to translate into success for all involved. How can your programs encourage this kind of participation?
- The program pays its participants to learn, a strong motivation for encouraging young people to learn new skills. Think about ways of funding a program with financial rewards for participants.
For more information on this program: Artists for Humanity