(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Yollocalli Arts Reach, a youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art, which serves as an arts education and career-training program for teens and young adults, and Young Chicago Authors (YCA), a program that encourages self-expression and literacy through creative writing, performance and publication, are being nationally recognized as two of 15 youth arts and humanities programs to receive the prestigious 2009 Coming Up Taller Award. Youth and adult representatives of the programs traveled to Washington, D.C., for a ceremony on November 4, where they accepted the award from Mrs. Obama.
Coming Up Taller is a national initiative that recognizes and supports outstanding out-of-school and after-school arts and humanities programs for children, especially those with great potential, but limited outlets for creative expression. A project of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Coming Up Taller Awards honor programs that offer exceptional learning experiences in the arts and the humanities and that have a tangible effect on the lives of young people as evidenced through improved academic scores, enhanced life skills, and positive relationships with peers and adults.
Yollocalli Arts Reach, a youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art, is an arts education and career-training program for teens and young adults. The Yollocalli model is based on creating a space for youth to partner with practicing artists; access the tools necessary to realize their own vision; and build skills as emerging artists. Located in the heart of Pilsen, Yollocalli is an open forum for experimentation in art-making based on issues in art, history, and youth culture. Since Yollocalli’s inception in 1997, the program’s teaching artists have guided students in the creation of more than 30 murals at locations throughout the city, including Midway and O’Hare airports, public transit stations, hospitals, schools and libraries.
“On behalf of Yollocalli Arts Reach, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities for this prestigious award, and would like to share this award with all the youth, artists and other organizations that have been a part of our family. As a former Yollocalli student and current Youth Programs Project Manager, I know first-hand the difference that this kind of high caliber arts programming can make in a young person’s life. Yollocalli is a truly unique organization, and with the support of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, we will continue our innovative programming for years to come,” said Vanessa Sanchez, youth programs project manager of Yollocalli Arts Reach.
Young Chicago Authors, founded in 1991, encourages self-expression and literacy through creative writing, performance and publication. YCA provides student-centered, artist-led workshops free to youth ages 13-19 in local schools and communities. YCA’s process emphasizes artistic development, mentorship, and creating safe spaces where a young person’s life matters. They believe that through their words, young people can promote tolerance and remove barriers to transform their lives and society. At present, YCA now directly serves 2,500 teens a year through workshops, performance and publication programs, and reaches 30,000 young people and adults through readership of its publications and audiences at its events.
“Young Chicago Authors is deeply honored to accept this award on behalf of all of the young people and teachers who have made creative writing a living part of Chicago,” said Dr. Robert Boone, founder of YCA.
“This year’s Coming Up Taller Awardees exemplify how arts and humanities programs outside of the school setting can impact on the lives of our young people,” says Margo Lion, co-chairman, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. “By exciting imaginations and providing opportunities for self-expression through the disciplines of theater, dance, music and literature these exceptional projects offer their participants windows on possibility and a belief in a more positive future.”
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities bridges the interests of federal agencies and the private sector, supports special projects that increase participation, and helps incorporate the humanities and the arts into White House objectives. The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Because democracy demands wisdom, the National Endowment for the Humanities serves and strengthens our Republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent federal grant making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners.
For more information please visit the following Web sites:
Yollocalli Arts Reach: www.yollocalli.org
Young Chicago Authors: www.youngchicagoauthors.org
Coming Up Taller: www.cominguptaller.org
President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities: www.pcah.gov
National Endowment for the Arts: www.arts.gov
National Endowment for the Humanities: www.neh.gov
Institute of Museum and Library Services: www.imls.gov
