As part of the Tacoma Art Museum education department’s multi-year initiative to better serve middle and high school students, the museum has launched a Teen Art Council program.

Building upon TAM’s youth programs such as Art After School, Youth Connect, and Business of Art, the council puts youth in the lead, asking them to apply their unique perspectives to developing new programs for fellow teens on Third Thursdays and for two annual Teen Nights.  These successful programs engage youth in collaborative art-making, introduce them to creative careers, and build critical thinking skills.

The Teen Art Council will include twelve youth who are interested in engaging other high school students around art and contemporary issues. These young museum leaders will develop innovative and lively events to shift the way teens think about museums, and the way museums think about teens. Members of the council are eligible to receive volunteer service hours through their participation. Artists, change-makers, and outside-the-box thinkers who are entering grades 10–12 are encouraged to apply. Applications are due by Friday, July 1 (TacomaArtMuseum.org/events). Required training will take place Thursday and Friday, August 18-19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The council will meet twice a month from September 2016 through June 2017.

Among its many goals, Teen Art Council aims to serve the community by positively engaging youth during their out-of-school time, and empowering them to think strategically about their future career plans. Teen Art Council will expose youth to museum careers and build TAM’s capacity to offer paid internships for high school students in the future. Through this pathway, TAM will help to develop the next generation of museum professionals among a passionate, diverse group of youth who believe in the power of museums to connect people through art.

– Tacoma Art Museum