In the Spring of 2022, the Kennedy-Douglass Volunteers launched a short pilot program to evaluate the interest and need for an after school art program aimed toward local teen artists. The program was a success! Under the guidance of art educator Tambra Howard, the group completed three big projects including special instruction on illustration from artist Jason Behel, a still life for Mother’s Day, and a large collaborative painting entitled “Bee Kind”. This last project was displayed during Arts Alive 2022 and later donated to the Kennedy-Douglass permanent collection.

The Alabama State Council on the Arts awarded Kennedy-Douglass Volunteers an $1800 grant to continue and expand this program in 2023 for our community’s young artists.

This year’s program began February 1 and continued through May 3. The attendance has increased from an average of 9 to more than 17 with even more on a waiting list!

With the repeated success of the Teen Art Program, we hope to continue to grow in the coming years, to bring in more teachers, and to expand the curriculum to include a wider range of mediums - like ceramics and other 3D art!