A little bit of art can make a lot of change for one community.
Arts on the Block is a creative outlet for youth to engage directly with
their communities. They provide real-world training in a working mosaic
studio and on public art projects throughout the D.C. metro region.
Included programs are in-studio and on the job training, as well as
providing professional mentoring. This summer the program moved into a
temporary pop-up studio in Silver Spring, Md., where dozens of projects can
occur simultaneously under one roof while they wait for their permanent
studio at the Silver Spring Library to be complete..
Part of Arts on the Block’s vision and goals include training individuals,
similar to an apprenticeship; expanding and educating on the importance of
the arts; building their social, self-confidence and problem-solving
skills; and growing them into skilled creators who transform into
team-players of society.
The apprenticeship program, called Pour Your Art Out, is where teenagers
can develop into apprentice artists and develop skills that can apply to
any career. One project was the Chase Bank opening on Georgia Avenue in
Silver Spring, MD., for a commissioned project.
Clayton Evans, Deputy Director of Arts on the Block, says that the part
that brings unity to these commissioned projects is that everyone is
working together as one for a common goal, a common purpose.
“The installation of the piece and how amazing it looks is the celebration
of the work that people did together,” Evans says. “That project itself
… was the one that solidified relationships and realization that
we’re all working on this common thing.”
Evans continues that being a shared experience means that people will be
able to see their finished results right in their backyard and in their
communities.
“Our young people are deciding to do a commissioned work of art, and that
just reinforces the process of them creating and fabricating a piece and
installing it,” says Evans. “It’ll be right here in the communities where
they work.”
One example of Arts on the Block making a community impact was the
renovation of an often gang-tagged staircase near Carroll Avenue and Quebec
Terrace. Arts on the Block added mosaic insets to the stair risers and
exterior lights to give the staircase a more prominent look, and to remind
the community that their neighborhood is safe and cared for..
A key component of Arts on the Block is the ability to explore different
individual interests. Studio crew member Julissa Barrera says that
communication matters in that pursuit.
“I was just a high school student and I found out about it from my high
school teacher,” Barrera says. “When I started, I had never really seen
mosaics before.”
She admits she has become a perfectionist when it comes to these intricate
projects.
“This is work that lasts a long time,” Barrera says. “Everyone’s going to
see it for a long time, and so that holds me to a high standard.”
Arts on the Block continues to grow, and with the new facility in a
centralized location that’s more accessible, that means more and more
people can create. The hope is that alumni like Barrera can apply what
they’ve learned, become craftspeople in their own original ways and come
back to visit as they grow in their careers.
Barrera sees Arts on the Block as a family, a group who will be
unconditionally proud of her. “I’m getting ready to head to UMBC in the
fall,” Barrera says, “but eventually a time will come when I won’t be able
to be with Arts on the Block. Even people who come into the studio for one
day have shared something and connected with us.”
To learn more about how Arts on the Block empowers creative youth to
imagine and shape fulfilling futures, visit artsontheblock.com.
