Events in all Five Boroughs

Have something to say? Have you been wanting to make something that represents you? At the Me, My Mask, & My Word workshop you will get to explore and discover parts of yourself that others may not get to see, and create your very own mask and spoken-word piece that helps reveal the truth within you.

This workshop starts with an interactive activity called the Johari Window, which helps you understand your relationship with yourself and others to support your mask-making and spoken word pieces. Choose the type of mask you want to create, sketch your design, and begin to create masterpiece that is all about you.

As your mask dries, the final element of the workshop explores spoken word poetry as personal writing that is meant to be performed, and includes an overview of techniques. Based on your personal exploration through the Johari Window, your values, and your mask, you will create an original piece that speaks to you, your mask, and the pieces of you that explored.

Join us for the first NYC Youth Poetry Slam Regional Competition! 5 poets from this slam—and each following regional slam—will advance to the Grand Slam Finals on Sunday, April 5th at Harlem’s world-famous Apollo Theater. The top 5 winners earn a spot on the Urban Word NYC Slam Team, go on a mini-NYC Poetry Tour, and will represent New York City at the Regional Poetry Slam against teams from Boston, Washington, D.C., and more. Feel free to cheer in the audience or come with one poem to compete with.

Our Poet-In-Residence who is hosting will speak about her career as a poet, and how competing in slam served as a tool in her belt as she pursued a career as a poet/activist.

Do you have something to say through your art and wonder how you can be both sincere and effective spreading an important message? Join 92Y for a teen-lead conversation about sincerity and art. ART (Affirming Real Thoughts) talks bring people together in dialogue about who they want to be and what they want to contribute to the world. Join this special edition for teens and arts professionals. Hear how people create art based on their lives and experiences while staying true to themselves. Is there someone you think is especially sincere in their art, music, or performance? How do you know if you are being sincere in your own creative process? Are there times you think you might have to compromise your art or your message to make a living? How do you decide when that’s OK? Come ready to think through thought-provoking questions and maybe share your own experience. If you can, come with one or two examples of music or art you find especially sincere or an artist whose sincerity you doubt.

Engage in a hands-on collaborative art journaling experience with the Teen Leadership Council at Free Arts NYC. You will be prompted to do a series of mini spontaneous activities from various categories. Optional: Please bring a sketchbook or journal to your liking. We will have backup journals and other materials are provided.

First Draft is a free, non-censored, weekly open mic series. It’s a safe space for artistic expression, experimentation and development across all genres, meaning if you want to try out something new, you’re welcome here! First Draft is open to all teen poets, musicians, MCs, dancers, actors who wish to share a monologue, and comedians looking to try out their act. Spectators are welcome as well. Don’t miss this special edition of First Draft in celebration of Teen Arts Week!

Members of our Youth Leadership Council, which runs our open mic series, will discuss how they got involved and what it takes to host & curate an open mic. Our featured performer will talk about their creative career journey.

#UWFirstDraft

During this hands-on event at the International Center of Photography (ICP), teens will get a guided tour of ICP’s current exhibitions, Tyler Mitchell: I Can Make You Feel Good and CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop. Following the tour, participants will create images of their own that draw inspiration from the exhibition’s themes of representation, identity, and personal power. Participants will walk away with an understanding of visual storytelling skills and their own piece of art. This space is open to teens of all experience levels who share a curiosity about the world of photography.

Guides will provide a glimpse into their roles at ICP and professional possibilities within the field. Teens will get a deeper look at ICP’s current exhibitions and school facility. Refreshments will be served.

Led by our Arts Immersion Teens, this all-levels contemporary dance class includes a chance to create your own choreography! Starting with a warm-up and acquisition of contemporary dance skills, this class will progress into choreography as well as an opportunity to reflect on what you create together. The reflection will include information about what a career in dance might look like, whether you want to be a choreographer, performer, teacher, or arts administrator!

Do you have a song, poem, or spoken word you’ve been wanting to record? Join New York-based conceptual artist and musician Ted Riederer as he explores the potential of a record shop and recording studio as an artistic community hub. Installed inside The Rudin Family Gallery, Never Records is a multi-use gathering space for connecting with others through recorded sound. In this special Teen Arts Week event, participants will take part in a three-hour recording session overseen by Riederer himself, at the end of which they leave with a freshly cut vinyl record and a digital file of their music. Visitors are also welcome to explore the record shop, listen to recordings from past Never Records installations, and watch live performances being recorded and cut in real time. Participants will need to bring a concept/material for a recording prior to the session.

Studio Works is an intensive art-making workshop series designed to give teens the opportunity to advance their own artistic processes. Each workshop focuses on a different theme or art making technique, encouraging participants to translate ideas into new artworks. This special Teen Arts Week edition of Studio Works will be led by the Teen Leadership Council, a group of New York City-based teens that foster a fun and safe space for teens to express creative ideas with The Studio Museum in Harlem. Light refreshments will be served.

Got a green thumb? Come learn more about the history of nature’s influence on the art world! Participants will make small flower pots to take home.

Let’s stretch, move, and get in some hip hop dance grooves! This open-level class will have you stepping to the beat and having fun! Class will begin with a warm-up followed by a combination, and students will then have the opportunity to explore creative movement based on steps and concepts taught earlier in the class. The goal is to give students the ability to express themselves through their own dance choreography.

The event will conclude with a Q&A with the instructor, who will be able to provide insight into life as a professional dancer and dance teacher.

Join Hook Arts Media for this special filmmaking workshop in celebration of Teen Arts Week! Workshop participants will learn the basics of using a DSLR camera, work one-on-one with teaching artists, and create content. No need to bring any materials, just bring yourself!

Join Hook Arts Media for this special poetry workshop in celebration of Teen Arts Week! Our poetry teaching artists use poetry as a vehicle for critical engagement and expression. Participants will work on both the writing & development of poetry as well as poetry performance.

Young people will participate in a playwriting workshop lead by a Manhattan Theatre Club Teaching Artist, and have the chance to witness career paths in writing, acting, and other creative positions in the theater industry. Students will write original short works based off the themes and structure of the new play The Perplexed, and then watch as guest artists perform their work. Students will then transition to City Center where they will see the off-Broadway production of The Perplexed. This workshop is ideal for those interested in creative writing and theater. Dinner and MetroCards will be provided. Limited availability; register ASAP to reserve your spot!

Open Art Space is a free, weekly drop-in program for LGBTQ+ teens and their allies. All high school-aged students are welcome to attend and participate! The session includes food, drinks, and free metrocards for everyone who attends. Each session focuses on a different topic, theme, or art-making material, and includes time to meet other teens in the program and collaborate across art projects and artistic discussions.

Workshop participants will create a 8x10 or 9x12 painting that they can take home with them! No materials needed—just don’t wear nice clothes, as acrylic paint is NOT washable.

Calling all aspiring beat makers! Participants will learn to mix and blend beats. Take home an original beat to use and show off to your friends!

New York City teens are invited to the Whitney to explore Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945! Featuring 200 works by sixty Mexican and American artists, Vida Americana demonstrates the impact Mexican artists had on their counterparts in the United States during this period and the ways in which their example inspired American artists both to create epic narratives about American history and everyday life, and to use their art to protest economic, social, and racial injustices.

Leave your mark in a mural making workshop, enjoy snacks, and dance to lively tunes. Teens in our Youth Insights Program will lead interactive gallery activities, discussions, and art-making projects.

Concrete Stories is BRIC’s annual youth media festival—organized for youth, by youth, and celebrating the work of local media makers 21 and younger. Join us at the Youth Media Screening event as we view and discuss examples of short media pieces from past Concrete Stories festivals. Are you an up-and-coming media maker? Learn about BRIC’s Teen Programs and how to submit your work for this year’s festival!

Join our Teen Council for a Jam Night & Game Night at Museum of the Moving Image! We will host an open mic along with live action role play/interactive gaming and art-making activities inspired by Keith Harring.

Join us for an hour-long workshop co-led by Irondale Young Company and the artists from Irondale’s On Women play festival. Participants will hear about the different productions performed in the festival and then collaborate to create a piece based on the themes presented, with a focus on celebrating female voices and female artists.

Students will get to meet various members of the production teams from the five plays in the festival as well as the creative staff behind the festival itself.

Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (JCAL) will open its doors to teenagers in NYC to take free workshops in Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts. Teens can attend multiple workshops between the hours of 10 am to 3pm:

Ceramics: 11 am-12 pm
Voice: 12-1 pm
Hip Hop for Teens: 12-1 pm
Dance Expressions / Modern Dance: 1-2 pm
Intermediate Acting: 1-2 pm
Art Studio (Drawing and Painting): 2-3 pm
Broadway at JCAL: 2-3 pm

We will award two full spring semester long scholarships for JCAL’s school for the arts, based on short questionnaire. All materials will be provided; students should dress comfortably.

Feeling inspired? During this special drop-in program, sketching materials and drawing prompts designed by our Guggenheim Teen interns are available for loan at the Family Activity Kiosk for exploration of the museum’s unique architectural shapes and spaces. Registration includes museum admission.

Studio 57 is an open, teen-driven space that includes opportunities to collaborate with peers, explore a broad range of musical styles, learn from professional artists, and participate in monthly concerts. In this special edition of Studio 57 celebrating Teen Arts Week, students have the opportunity to perform side by side with singer-songwriter Be Steadwell. Teens should plan to bring their instrument for an open jam session after Be Steadwell’s performance. They should also bring the signed permission form, available online.

Join us for a Scavenger Hunt & Tour of the Lincoln Center Campus! This will include an interactive tour of the Geffen Hall, Met Opera, Lincoln Center Theater, and Rose Building. Paticipants will have an opportunity to learn about the history of our campus, the performances that take place, and will test their knowledge with clues provided by staff as they explore our outdoor and indoor space.

The tour will include a talk-back with the guides and program staff providing insight into some of the career paths available at Lincoln Center.

Sketch in the galleries from works of art with the guidance of an artist-instructor. Thinking of applying to an art high school or college? This class is a great way to experiment with different drawing approaches and build a portfolio! This event is for high school students ages 15-18. Materials are provided.

Did you know that anyone can add and edit entries on Wikipedia, but only 17% of biographies on Wikipedia are about women? Learn how to contribute your own knowledge to this global encyclopedia to help us close the Wiki gender gap, and learn about incredible women from American history while you’re at it!

No need to bring anything—we’ll provide computers and snacks. Bring information about a figure you’d like to add to Wikipedia, but we’ll have plenty of Women’s History research to share and use!

In this special college access workshop, students will learn how to use the arts to enhance their college applications. Workshop facilitators will help students build their college list, explore financial aid options, and dispel myths about the application process. Students will also learn about the intersection of college choice and career choice.

Participants will spend the night at SLAM flying and falling while doing PopAction, Flying Trapeze and Trampoline under the guidance of STREB EXTREME ACTION professional company members.