AS220 YOUTH
Winter 2024 Hours:
Monday: 1:30 - 6 PM
Tuesday and Thursday: 3:30 - 6 PM
Wednesday and Friday: 3 - 6 PM
AS220 Youth is a nationally recognized, award-winning after-school educational program and creative incubator for young people. Serving young people ages 14-21 with a special focus on those in the care and custody of the state, the program strives to dismantle the pipeline to prison by empowering at-risk, beyond-risk and incarcerated youth through arts, culture and collective action.
AS220 Youth provides free arts programming in three primary locations: our Empire Street Studio (115 Empire Street, Providence); Nowell Leadership Academy, a charter school founded in order to primarily serve pregnant and parenting young people; and the Rhode Island Training School (RITS), the state’s juvenile detention facility. Once youth are released from the Training School, they can continue working with us at our Empire Street Studio until age 21, when they can become involved with other AS220 artistic programming. Today, our program serves 600 youth annually.
Inspired by hip hop culture, our program is youth-led, multidisciplinary and always evolving. We understand that meeting the needs of young people means ‘meeting them where they are’, engaging them in projects that are relevant to their lives and providing them with caring mentors who — over time — can expose them to new ideas, new ways of thinking and real world artistic and career opportunities. AS220 Youth harnesses comprehensive arts education and technical training, career building, hip hop, and social justice education to affect change for youth and their communities.
Questions about AS220 Youth? Please email janay.pina@as220.org or tap the button below to send her an email. We can also be reached at (401) 467-0701.
FUTUREWORLDS
AS220 Youth centers artmaking in a social justice context, culminating annually in the AfroFuturist inspired Futureworlds showcase. Every year our young people unite to present a youth-led, year long multimedia project that blends elements of art, popular culture and visionary fiction to reimagine a more just and equitable world free from systems of oppression. It has taken the form of a fashion show, festival, and a play.
“FUTUREWORLDS is a multimedia mixtape. A living collage. A walking anthology. A breathing literary magazine. The purpose of Futureworlds is to give young people the space and resources to create highly visible work that transforms the way we think about art, community and justice. We use design thinking as a framework to develop projects that not only create social awareness but that also offer potential solutions and/or ways of being.”
PERFORMING ARTS
The AS220 Youth Perfoming Arts program offers a variety of weekly classes in performance, music, and dance. Some of our popular classes include: Hip Hop Dance, Songwriting, Spoken Word and more.
Students are encouraged to record personal projects, perform at AS220 Youth Mic Madness (open mic) and coordinate their own music-related events. AS220 Youth is home to the Delgago Recording Studio which offers free recording sessions for young people ages 14-21. At AS220 Youth, students can produce, record, perform and sell their music all under one roof. We are a one-stop shop for aspiring musicians and entrepreneurs!
For students who are invested in taking their music to a professional level, they can audition for the Zukrewe: AS220’s youth-led performance troupe. Members of the Zukrewe work collaboratively to create theme-based albums and perform all over New England. Recently, they have performed at PVD Fest, Foo Fest and Fete Music Hall. The AS220 Youth Performing Arts program has a major focus on Hip Hop.
Over 99% of the students who attend AS220 Youth say that they identify with Hip Hop culture including the elements, dress, language, values, history, and of course, the music. Through Hip Hop, we explore various musical genres, histories, and social justice themes.
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The Dance program at AS220 Youth is centered around Hip Hop classes. Students are able to explore other styles, as well. Dance Apprentices create original choreography as part of the Zukrewe and perform at events throughout the state.
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Music at AS220 Youth supports youth at a variety of levels, from those learning songwriting fundamentals to those who are ready to record a full mixtape. AS220 Youth provides help with vocals, beatmaking and live band, as well. After perfecting a song, youth can get support in recording on site in the Delgado Studio. Music Apprentices work toward creating a full length Zukrewe album and soundtrack for Futureworlds. They also perform original tracks at events around the state.
VISUAL & MEDIA ARTS
The Visual and Media Arts program focuses on providing rich opportunities for young folks who have in interest in expressing themselves visually, with a focus on Visuals, Apparel, and Media. Students enjoy weekly classes ranging from basic painting to fashion design to video editing. Popular classes include photography, painting, screen printing, and video. AS220 Youth provides instruction in current software, including Photoshop, Final Cut Pro and Premiere.
AS220 Youth students are able to create work, document it in their online portfolios and present at AS220 Youth showcases and gallery shows. For students who are ready to take their visual work to the streets, they can sell their custom art at AS220 events, join a mural crew and/or present their creative projects at external venues in and around the state. Students are highly encouraged to coordinate gallery openings, fashion shows and utilize AS220 Youth staff when applying to art schools.
Our Visual and Media Arts program has been commissioned to create bus shelters for the city of Providence, repaint old electrical boxes and create large scale murals for local agencies, businesses and schools.
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In the Apparel program, youth learn fashion design skills to suit their goals, whether its launching their own clothing line or creating a few shirts for friends. Students work at Youth but also AS220 Printshop where they practice screen printing and other printmaking skills. Apprentices in the Apparel program create designs for our Futureworlds shows, including a runway show and costumes for characters. Students are encouraged to sell their work at festivals, events and on our online shop.
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In the Digital Media program, cameras and equipment are provided for youth to create music videos, short films and more. Two editing suites are available, one at Youth and one at AS220 Media Lab, where youth can learn to use Final Cut Pro, Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, and more. AS220 Youth shares the same floor as AS220 Community Darkroom, where students can learn analog photography skills. Digital Media Apprentices hone their skills in event photography, documentary, graphic design, short films and more.
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The Youth Visuals program covers a range of traditional and digital mediums. Painters can work with provided canvases and paints. Students can also check out tablets and learn how to use Procreate to make digital drawings. Visuals students work in the Youth visuals studio but also learn printmaking skills at the AS220 Printshop. Apprentices work on commissioned murals throughout the city, illustrate comics and more. Youth are encouraged to organize their own gallery shows and display their work across the state.