Independent Study Meets Art Club
The Teen Artist Co-Op is one of the Lawrence Arts Center’s core Youth Visual Arts programming for teens alongside Hang 12, a teen curatorial collective celebrating its 10th year, and our standard, year-round, media-based teen visual arts classes and workshops.
The Teen Artist Co-Op, or “TACO,” humorously abbreviated, aims to foster curiosity and broaden the horizons of what’s possible in visual arts. Under the mentorship of practicing artists, students will better learn how to be proactive and self-guided in their creative initiatives, with access to Arts Center tools, equipment, and other benefits. Above all, being a safe space to hang out with peers and make new friends.
Learn more about the Teen Artist Co-Op.
TACO kicked off it’s first session in the Fall of 2023, and after a year of growth, testing the waters, and unexpected surprises, TACO instructor Sydni William reflects on the first year of this special program, fun memories, and what she’s looking forward to in the upcoming session starting January 27, 2025.
The Teen Artist Co-Op Vision
When I joined the Youth Visual Arts team as a staff member in 2023, I saw an opportunity to take inspiration from an old Arts Center teen program, with a mission that excited me and aligned with what I’m most passionate about as an arts educator, and create something new from the ashes. After months of collaborative brainstorming and developing, the Teen Artist Co-Op was born!
I’ll readily admit to anyone that what I try to do with TACO is a combination of all of the best bits and pieces of my own high-school art education and experiences that gave me a leg up in pursuing a career in the arts and my own practice. Things like; real life face time with professional artists, learning about the different paths they took to arrive where they currently are. Learning how to think critically about art and why artists make what they make. Receiving artist mentorship and feedback as I worked through the creative process of a project from start to finish. When I wanted to learn something that my teacher didn’t know, having an adult who genuinely cared about my success enough to pull resources and spend time figuring it out together.
This is what I aspire to instill in youth and give back to young creatives. Showing them how to take advantage of the resources and community wherever they’re at in life, and pursue the creativity they are most excited about without questioning the validity or requiring certain traditional expectations from them.
Teen Artist Co-Op Flyer, Design by Milo Bitters
Reflecting on the First Year
When it came time to make TACO a reality, we spread the word around Lawrence to local businesses, community boards, and schools through a risograph-printed flyer we commissioned a former Hang 12 member to design. I was slightly nervous our TACO pitch wouldn’t stick, but in Fall of 2023, we kicked off the Teen Artist Co-Op with a full class of 10! We meet on Mondays after school during the school year for six week sessions each season. During the summer, we switch it up to a slightly looser format with different perks; getting to hang out with and learn from a new teaching artist each week, with the same friendly peer faces, and the opportunity to bring along friends.
Each session is completely different, not because of the structure, but the members who make up the co-op each time. Sometimes I have students actively working on their art school portfolios, and sometimes the entire group is just kids who know they enjoy art, but don’t know what they want to create, or how. The group dynamic is always different, and getting to see how it evolves each time is so special. One week I’ll be showing a curious student how film photography works, while others are crocheting, or designing new shoes for video game characters. The next week we’ve got potter’s wheels and easels set up for something completely different. We also started a tradition of ending each session with a field trip down the block to a local art supply store, Wonder Fair to spend whatever supply money students had remaining. In a couple of the early sessions, we designed and printed our own stickers, and posted them up on the sticker pole downtown at ACME.
In the Fall of 2024, artist and Lawrence Arts Center 2023-24 Ceramic Artist in Residence, Dehmie Dehmlow joined to co-lead the Teen Artist Co-Op alongside Sydni William.
Instructor, Dehmie Dehmlow with Teen Artist Co-Op Member
Looking Ahead to a New Year
With the addition of Dehmie, I believe TACO is going to grow in so many exciting new ways this year. The artist-to-artist conversational dynamic between the two of us during the Monday open studios spurred so many ideas and thoughtful conversations surrounding art that were exactly what we were envisioning when forming this program. Dehmie contrasts me and fills in the gaps as sculptor and artist working with clay who took a more “traditional” educational route than I. I respect her so much as an artist, and resonate with what their work is all about, and often find myself bouncing ideas and concepts for my own projects off of them. Which– I hope– can show students how important having a community of other artists to surround yourself with is.
And, continuing to focus on creating a healthy community for Lawrence teen artists is exactly what we hope to emphasize this year as we look ahead. I’m excited for the new students, adventures and traditions, along with the energy Dehmie brings in this upcoming session of TACO. We hope to start more collaborative projects between students within each session, and spread the word about this special LAC program to more teens in our Lawrence community.