What is LOOK! Albany Center Gallery's Youth Art Program Series?
LOOK! is a year-round workshop series for youth interested in the arts with organizations and young creative professionals of the Capital Region. Through collaboration with local artist mentors and their personal creative voices, the youth produce artwork of a myriad of mediums and varieties. Each youth has the opportunity to come up with their own concept and together, we help make their visions come to life. Each year the program grows to meet the art needs of the community.
ACG wants to ensure that underrepresented communities and individuals (for example, youth of color, as this is a population often overlooked by arts institutions) are receiving opportunities for thoughtful, free art activities. LOOK! adds vibrant color and activates spaces while creating sustainable lessons in teamwork, professionalism, literacy, and creativity. Art uplifts and inspires. The more art that is everywhere, the more demand and acceptance for an artfully vibrant Albany and beyond there will be.
To participate in ACG's in-house youth art programs, please email Emily at operations@albanycentergallery.org
Youth Art Programs
LOOK! 2025: Art.Work.Space.
ACG hosts monthly youth art workshops (coined Art.Work.Space.) in partnership with The RED Bookshelf. The programs are led by local artist mentors on the 2nd Saturday of each month throughout the year. The themes of the workshops will depend on what the youth want and the medium(s) of each artist. We will have workshops in writing, mural painting, screen printing, comic book making, collaging, clothing design, graphic design, watercolor painting, music, poetry, literacy, and more!
The physical Art.Work.Space. showcases the youth’s artwork, hosts additional community programming and celebrations, and is utilized as a creative workspace. It is a vibrant, colorful environment for artmaking, art-sharing, and dialogue about art!
LOOK! 2025: ACG x NAMS Field Trip to BOOGIEREZ's Studio in NYC
What an exciting NYC trip with local students from North Albany Middle School (NAMS) to visit BOOGIEREZ’s studio in the World Trade Center! This is the 3rd year of the Art on the Rise Mural project with NAMS and the first time doing a workshop with NAMS at an off-site location.
Students were also able to see other awesome artworks and murals near and inside the WTC by multiple artists. It was a unique experience and we are thankful to bring youth to see the scale of art, the importance of creating, and how art has no boundaries and connects us all.
LOOK! 2025: North Albany Middle School Mural Project with Quill Harrison
Artist Mentor Quill Harrison led an after school session where students shared what they were passionate about and how to grow it. During the workshop, students and the artist brainstormed ideas to translate this into a creative design. The students took time during their spring break to learn and help to paint under the guidance of Artist Mentor Quill, all while seeing their ideas and conversations transform onto a wall in their school!
LOOK! 2025: Pine Hills Elementary School Community Mural Project with Alicia Lea
Artist Mentor Alicia Lea led a pop up art event for students at the Pine Hills Elementary’s Playtime Party. Students of all backgrounds and ages helped contribute to the mural.
LOOK! 2024: Together for Youth Mural Project with BoogieREZ
Artist Mentor BoogieREZ led workshop days with the youth to spark dialogue and see what values youth found important to themselves and also what they would like to see on the walls inside the space. From the conversations held with the youths, BoogieREZ was able to create a design and complete a mural at Together for Youth.
LOOK! 2024: Castle Island Bilingual Montessori School Mural Project with Ramiro Davaro-Comas
Artist Mentor Ramiro created a mural inspired by the children's art completed in the Creative Visual Arts Program at the Castle Island Bilingual Montessori School.
LOOK! 2024: Palace Theatre Community Mural Project with TrashKiD Art
Artist Mentor TrashKiD Art led a community interactive mural with youths at Palace Theatre's Community Block Party.
LOOK! 2024: ACG & United Way Summer Meals Collaborative Program
Beginning July 8 and going until August 16, Artist Mentors will be at the Creighton Storey location of the United Way Summer Meals Program in Albany every week on Wednesdays and Thursdays! Artists will work with youth on creating a large mural, "Art in Bloom: Garden of the Galaxy". This Garden is packed with themes including fruits and veggies, nature, favorite foods, aliens, flowers, and so much more. Participants also created unique works on canvas to take home with them and planted some seeds in pots they painted to watch grow.
LOOK! 2024: Roots Academy at West Hill Youth Mural Project with Ramiro Davaro-Comas and TrashKiD Art
Artist Mentors Ramiro and TrashKiD Art created murals inside Roots Academy at West Hill, inspired by the students and what they valued and wanted to see highlighted on their school walls.
LOOK! 2024: Hope 7 Community Center Youth Mural Project with Kayla Jolin
Artist Mentor Kayla led workshop days with the youth in the after-school program at Hope 7 to talk about and envision what was important to them and what they would want to see in their space. The youth sketched and collaborated on their collective ideas to think about what the mural could look like! With the students’ inspiration and imagery, Kayla was able to create a few designs that the youth & community members voted on. Kayla and students worked together on site to complete this vibrant mural to highlight what Hope 7 means to them.
LOOK! 2024: NAMS Youth Mural Project with Ramiro Davaro-Comas and Raè Frasier
This program involved after school sessions in which students were able to voice their opinions and ideas to the artists on what they felt would be important to display on the walls inside the school. With the students’ inspiration, Artist Mentors Ramiro and Raè created designs for two separate spaces at NAMS and both artists and students worked together on site to complete the murals that were designed to inspire and create a sense of space for students.
LOOK! 2024: Stephen & Harriet Myers Middle School Youth Mural Project with TrashKiD
This project involved an after school session in which students were able to voice their opinions and ideas to the artist on what they felt would be important to display on the walls inside the school. With the students’ inspiration, Artist Mentor TrashKiD was able to create a design for this space at Stephen & Harriet Myers Middle School to increase the students’ sense of connection and belonging to the school.
LOOK! 2023: TCCE Youth Mural Project with Raè Frasier
This project involved after school sessions in which students were able to discuss about community and creatively express their emotions under the guidance of artist Raè. Based on these dialogues, Raè created a design for a space within the Tony Clement Center for Education and both the artist and students worked together to complete the moveable mural to highlight inclusivity and diversity within the school environment.
LOOK! 2023: ArtStreet Youth Art Program with Grand Street Community Arts & South End Children's Cafe
Each Thursday after school, youth from Grand Street Community Arts & South End Children's Cafe came with their mentors to Art.Work.Space. at ACG to create art! Artist Mentors Rae' Frasier & Tanner Damico each led two workshops and helped the youth create original paintings, drawings, and collaborative pieces in the subject of their choice. This was a small glimpse at what a collaboration like this could do for the community with hopes that this could become a permanent initiative to encourage more youths to explore their creative avenues.
LOOK! 2023: NAMS Youth Mural Project with Ramiro Davaro-Comas and Raè Frasier
This program involved an after school session in which students were able to voice their opinions and ideas to the artists on what they felt would be important to display on the walls inside the school. With the students’ inspiration, artists Ramiro and Raè created designs for three separate spaces at NAMS and both artists and students worked together on site to complete the murals that were designed to increase collaborative student connections.
LOOK! 2023: Art & Financial Literacy with the Connect Center & Young Futures Inc.
A colorful world of financial literacy awaits your child! Sign them up for a class to learn valuable money skills, decision-making, and the importance of smart spending. Let's make a bright financial future together!
This program will meet from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays, from 3/7 - 5/2.
LOOK! 2023: Free Ice Cream & Art Day with Young Futures Inc.
Free Ice Cream & Art Day was on Monday, 4/3 at Ben & Jerry's with our friends at Young Futures Inc.! What a great way to start the week with art and community. Youth enjoyed free ice cream cones and painted their own unique canvases to take home with them!
LOOK! 2022: ACG & United Way Summer Meals Collaborative Program
Beginning July 5 and going until August 24, Artist Mentors will be at the Creighton Storey location of the United Way Summer Meals Program in Albany every week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! Artists will work with youth on creating a large mural, spending a week on each letter that will eventually spell out "DREAM BIG" that will be displayed at Creighton Storey once complete. The artists will also work with the youth to paint and draw on small tiles, donated by Hudson Valley Tile, to be able to have small works of art to take home with them at the end of the program!
LOOK! 2022: (2) YMCA and ACG Youth Art Workshops
ACG Partnered with the Capital District YMCA for 2 Youth Art Programs, located at Jerry Burrell Park in Schenectady; as well as Giffen Memorial Elementary School in Albany!
LOOK! 2022: Connect Center for Youth Canva Art Workshop
Albany Center Gallery partnered and worked with the Connect Center for Youth to create a free workshop for Cohoes Youth to learn the program Canva. ACG Staff and Artist Mentor Molly led the workshop and taught the kids about the Canva program and the endless possibilities it has for art making!
LOOK! 2022: Berkshire Farm Center & Services for Youth Art Program
ACG, Berkshire Farm Center & Services for Youth, and Artist Mentor Oscar held a Youth Art Program to teach kids about mural art, spoken word, and collaboration. They painted a mural at Berkshire Farm Center that reads Sky's the Limit in vibrant colors!
LOOK! 2021: RISSE & ACG Youth Summer Program
ACG teamed up with RISSE (Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus) for a 4 week long youth art program lead by multi-disciplinary artist mentor D. Colin. This art component was an additional element to RISSE’s already existing 6 week long summer program. Artist Mentor Jordan Hill also held an African drumming and dancing class with the participants.
LOOK! 2021: Frank Chapman Memorial Institute Youth Art Program
Albany Center Gallery teamed up with Frank Chapman Memorial Institute with additional support from The RED Bookshelf to bring a new LOOK! Youth Art Program-- led by Artist Mentors Kim Tateo & Sean McLaughlin! Artist mentors Kim & Sean worked with 15-20 students from FCMI to create murals on site filled with the youth’s inspirational, colorful, and uplifting visions.
LOOK! 2021: ArtStreet Youth Art Workshop
ACG partnered with Grand Street Community Arts for the ArtStreet Youth Art Workshop! Youth participants created their own unique art pieces, guided by local artist mentors on a subject or topic of their choosing. Their completed paintings were then shown at the Albany Capital Center in the front lobby of their exhibition, "Michelangelo - A Different View."
LOOK! 2021: The RED Bookshelf 1000 Word Contest
Participants of the contest wrote an essay inspired by a Capital Walls Mural throughout downtown Albany. This community contest was brought to you by The RED Bookshelf, Albany Barn, and Albany Center Gallery. Capital Walls is a partnership between Albany Barn, Albany Center Gallery, and Albany Parking Authority.
LOOK! 2021: Connect Cohoes Youth Art Program
The Connect Center and Albany Center Gallery held a collaborative youth art workshop weekend which was designed to encourage creativity, collaboration, and youth empowerment. We worked together with the Connect Center, youth, the Duane X Arts Foundation, and local artist mentors (D. Colin, DeSean Skillz, and Brian White) to fill the Connect Center with youth created murals. Here’s to more artful walls by the young artists’ of the community!
LOOK! 2020: Summer Youth Employment Program
The youth have workshops by local artist mentors, visit public art, and work closely with each other, and Lead Artist Mentor Eugene O'Neill and ACG Staff. By the end of the program, each participant will have created their very own 4’x8’ moveable mural that will be put in public. More Art Everywhere.
Read more and see photos here.
LOOK! 2019: Corner Canvas
Corner Canvas provides resources for creativity and empowerment to the community and by utilizing the rich cultural assets in the region. This program gives an opportunity for the youth in the community to share their creative imagination and capabilities, through the restructure of vacant buildings and sparse lots. They come together to foster positive change through leading by example, creative expression, and the power of collaboration.
LOOK! 2018: The Art of Recycling
LOOK! gives local youth the opportunity to work with professional artists to explore art centered around a theme; in 2018, that theme was the art of recycling. Kids toured the 2018 Mohawk Hudson Regional Invitational and learned about how artists repurpose found materials to create works of art.
LOOK! 2017: Kids' Eye View ALB
ACG paired members of the Bus Stop Club aged 8-14 with professional photographers for an afternoon exploring and photographing the area around ACG. Then, the high-resolution images were wheat-pasted on the building next door to the arcade on Maiden Lane. The result was a youth-focused public photography project that brightened the space by ACG.
