Art Party Photos!

As promised, here are some photos from the YAC Unity Event a few weeks ago, where the YAC community put on display their multitude of talents. This slideshow was put together by Barry Scott, program coordinator for E'town Rising. Thanks Barry!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb18psCU91U&context=C3cf5968ADOEgsToPDskItfql8xffT93AwomTqnAzw

YAC's Got Talent!

A huge thanks to everyone who attended, and to everyone who presented at our 2nd YAC Unity of the year this past Friday. We had an open mic/art share at the Mercy House in Amherst, and we saw just how talented our crowd is! Presentations ranged from musical performances, to slideshows of photography, to spoken poetry! This event left us eager for the next YAC Unity- and possibly even another open mic next semester!

On a different note, Video Vanguards will be having their Works in Progress and Classics Reel this Friday. Come to this screening to see the great work that the youth of VV have been doing all year. It will be this Friday, December 16th, at 6 pm, at Amherst Media (245 College St, Amherst).

Photos of the Unity Event to come!!!

A Congratulations, and an Invitation!

Hello everyone! First of all, we'd like to congratulate one of our Girls Eye View Ware youth, Annalee Clough! She submitted her photography to the Joy of Give Something Foundation's fall photo contest. See her work here: http://www.jgsinc.org/resolution/resolution-contest/gallery-fall-2011/contestant-annalee-clough-fall-2011/

These photos are a great example of work that is both technically sound and socially pertinent. Way to go Annalee!

Second, I invite you to come to YAC's 2nd Unity Event of the year, which will be an open mic/art share at the Mercy House in Amherst! It's going to be taking place next Friday, from 6-8pm. Come a bit early to help prepare food if you can, or prepare something at home if you'd like! But the only thing you need to bring is yourself, and whatever you'd like to show- whether it be music, art, photography, film- anything at all! For more details, check out the event on Facebook by looking through YAC's events. I hope to see you there!

Working in the Metal Shop with Get Up Get Down.

Having a few weeks in the shop has been lots of fun. We have been learning hand tools, power tools, and MIG welding. The first assignment was to create some kind of self-portrait using found materials.

Get Up Get Down kicks off the year with a fieldtrip to a local sculpture park!

On the 13th of October, we traveled to Easthampton where Park Hill Orchard hosts a sculpture exhibit called "Art in the Orchard." We toured the 20 sculptures made mostly of recycled material and scrap metal for inspiration. Despite the muck and clouds we had a lovely time and appreciated the beautiful view. Some of the more memorable included a larger-than-life metal tiger made out of rebar, a giant wasp made of scrap metal, and a flowery symphony of saw blades.

1st YAC Unity: First Generation Performance Project

What a way to start off the new year! A special thanks to all those who came to the Jones Library this past Friday. We watched an incredible performance from some of First Generation's youth performers, then engaged in some truly inspiring dialogue. And we can't forget the awesome games that our first facilitators were able to show us!

Thank you to First Generation for helping us kick off the year with a wonderful YAC Unity. If you couldn't come to this one, be sure to try to get to the next one! Ask any of your friends who went, and I am confident they will recommend it! On the agenda for next time: an open mic/art share. Should be a great time, details to come!

Need some more YAC this summer?! Check out the STREET ART PROJECT!

Have you seen GUGD's new mural on the side of the Amherst Cinema Building? Pretty cool, right?! Well, this summer you, too, can make art in downtown Amherst!

Announcing the STREET ART PROJECT!

This summer YAC is collaborating with PRISM: the ARHS 21st Century After School Program to offer a really exciting program for any youth interested in exploring their creativity and making artwork that is relevant and alive in the community.

July 5-21

T/W/Th -- 1pm-4pm

meet at ARHS and make art downtown!

Students may earn 1 elective credit thru ARHS Summer School! Attend all sessions, pay a small fee (lunch included!) Sign up with Lisa Candito, ARHS Room 311, canditol@arps.org, 413.362.1789

For more information contact Katie Richardson: katie@youthactioncoalition.org, 413.253.2158

FIGMENT Boston: What an AWESOME trip!

Wanna work at YAC? We're hiring!

Now’s your chance to run an Arts-for-Change program! We’re looking for enthusiastic artists and youth workers for two program coordinator positions beginning this fall:

- GirlsEyeView programs in Ware and Amherst, 20-25 hrs/wk

- E'town Rising program in Easthampton, 8-15 hrs/wk

All positions begin September 2011. The application deadline is June 15, and interviews will happen in late June/early July. For the full job posting, email Hannah at hannah@youthactioncoalition.org

GirlsEyeView Ware Field Trip to UMass University Museum

Yesterday, 10 girls from GEV Ware piled into a big white van for the half hour drive to UMass Amherst. We went to the University Museum, where there is an exhibit up by photographer David Goldblatt.

Our kind guide Eva provided context for the exhibit - we learned all about the Apartheid era in South Africa.

Eva also talked to us about how David Goldblatt doesn't consider himself an "artist" persay - he documents the world around him as he sees it.

Having just one hour to visit the exhibit was nowhere near enough time! It was hard to tear ourselves away for the incredible, giant images. Everyone had a different favorite - mine was the room with a number to triptychs that really allowed the viewer to step inside the photograph.

It was a super fun time!

E'town Rising: Artwalk and EHS Art Show!

E'town Rising: Voices of Youth has been working on a really exciting project, learning to create handmade books from some of the amazing, talented book-binders located in Easthampton.

On Saturday April 9th, they hosted a scavenger hunt at the Easthampton Art Walk, engaging many people in the Art Walk in a unique way - participants located handmade photo books at 5 different venues at the Art Walk, collecting a stamp for each book they located in hopes of winning a prize at the end.

On the heels of that successful event, all the E'town participants have photos in the upcoming Easthampton High School Arts Fest, with an opening reception on May 5th from 4-7pm at the Elusie and ECA Galleries in Easthampton!

Come and check them out!

The YAC Retreat was AMAZING!

Last Friday and Saturday, twenty-five YACies gathered at Earthdance Retreat Center in Plainfield, MA for the YAC Retreat!

Earthdance was the perfect venue, although coming from the Valley we weren't quite prepared for it to still be winter up in the hills! It was cold and snowy, and we were all grateful for the warm Umbrella Studio where we spent most of our time.

On Friday evening everyone brought a dish to share and we had the most abundant, delicious potluck meal I've ever seen in my life. We then headed over to the studio, where Get Up Get Down lead the group in a brainstorm about social justice issues that move us personally and as an organization.

We used the discussion as inspiration to paint a collaborative mural!

While some were painting, other YACies shared their significant talents in poetry, music, photography and video. By the end of the evening, we were wondering why YAC doesn't specialize in performance with all the talent of our members!

It was late to bed, early to rise. Breakfast was at 8am, followed by an intensive visioning process led by Diana, Stacey and Zeke. We generated a TON of ideas about what YAC does well and where we should focus our attention in the future. A strategic planning committee will be formed to create a way forward! Come to the YAC board meeting on Monday, 4/4 if you're interested in participating.

Hannah led a workshop on making recycled notebooks, and Video Vanguards trained a group of YACies in ad-busting.

After lunch, Dee helped us examine our social identities by thinking about the stories around our names, and about all the various facets that make up our identity.

Sasha ran the last training, giving the group concrete skills to be better active bystanders. See the Six Step Guide in the photo below!

Overall the YAC retreat was an invaluable experience, both for YAC as an organization and for its individual members. New friendships were forged, talents were discovered, and a whole lot of plans were made!

Awesome opening reception last Thursday!

WOW! What a great time was had by all at the YAC photo opening at the ETTA/Community-Photo-Access Gallery! Work by all three YAC photography programs, including E'town Rising, GirlsEyeView Amherst and GirlsEyeView Ware was represented in the show.

There were lots of delicious snacks, and then an intimate show by the incredibly talented and impressive band Who'da Funk It?!

If you weren't able to make the opening, you can still go see the photos! The gallery is located at 534 Main St in Amherst, and will be open Thursday through Sunday, 1pm-4pm throughout the month of March!

Stay tuned for upcoming YAC events, including a photo book scavenger hunt by E'town Rising at the Easthampton Art Walk on April 9th and an end-of-year YAC Unity show at the Burnett Gallery of the Jones Library in Amherst during the month of June!

E'town Rising member Nicole LaFortune selected at Finalist in Videa Youth Photo Challenge!!!

Congratulations to Nicole LaFortune for being selected as a finalist in the Videa Youth Photo Contest! This international photo competition had hundreds of submissions, and Nicole's was in the top 15! WOW!

See Nicole's winning image below:

Busy Days for YAC Unity!

As usual, YAC Unity is doing many exciting things!

In December, before winter break, YAC Unity had a mold-making session at Leverett Crafts and Arts.

Everybody had a blast making plaster masks of their faces and molds of their hands.

At the end of January, YAC journeyed to North Adams, Massachusetts to the MASS MoCA art museum.

The day was spent leisurely exploring the exhibits, including the Sol Lewitt installation.