Youth In Arts

Shopping at Macy's this weekend? You can support Youth in Arts through Macy's Round Up program at Northgate Mall now through October 15. When you round up your purchase to the nearest dollar, your change can help support arts learning opportunities for young people in our community.

Thank you for rounding up for Youth in Arts!

On Saturday, YIA Teaching Artist Shirl Buss hosted a Living With Water "make and take" station at the Canal Alliance Emergency Preparedness Community Fair! About 25 children and their families joined us to create, collaborate, and share thoughtful ideas about living with water. The whole fair was full of great energy, hands-on learning, and fun. Thank you to Canal Alliance for making space for us to be part of such a meaningful community day! 🌊🎨



And a Spanish version, if you'd like to post bilingually:

¡El sábado, la artista docente de YIA Shirl Buss dirigió una estación de "crea y llévate" de Living With Water (Vivir con el agua) en la Feria Comunitaria de Preparación para Emergencias de Canal Alliance! Cerca de 25 niños y sus familias nos acompañaron para crear, colaborar y compartir ideas sobre cómo vivir con el agua. Toda la feria estuvo llena de buena energía, aprendizaje práctico y diversión. ¡Gracias a Canal Alliance por abrirnos un espacio para ser parte de un día comunitario tan significativo! 🌊🎨

Let’s Talk About Age opens today at the Youth in Arts Gallery & ArtLab.

Featuring collaborative artwork by 24 artists, the exhibition brings together Youth in Arts’ teen I AM artists and artists 65 and older to explore ageism, stereotypes, personal experiences, and what we can learn from one another.

Join us tonight for the opening reception!

📅 Friday, September 18
⏰ 4–6 PM
📍 917 C Street, San Rafael

Come see the work, meet artists, and be part of the conversation.

What do you want to say about age?

San Rafael PorchFest is back! Youth in Arts will be joining the celebration with our interactive musical playground and a performance by YIA's a ca****la ensemble, `Til Dawn.

🎤Catch `Til Dawn on Porch 8 at 4pm!

Photographer: Stephen Schmid

For Let’s Talk About Age, teen artists from Youth in Arts’ I AM program were paired with artists 65 and older. Through workshops and conversation, they shared their experiences, challenged assumptions, and explored how age shapes the way we see ourselves and each other.

The result is a collection of collaborative artworks created across generations.

Come see the exhibition and hear more about the project at our opening reception this Friday, September 18, from 4–6 PM.

📍 Youth in Arts Gallery & ArtLab, 917 C Street, San Rafael
Free and open to the public.

What a great way to wrap up the San Rafael Summer Market! 🎨 For our final workshop, young artists explored San Rafael as a whole, creating mini neighborhood models with unique names, buildings, artwork, plants, flags, and other details. Together, they added their creations to a large map of the city and imagined what makes each neighborhood special.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to make art, build, and share ideas with us throughout the summer! ❤️ We loved seeing the creativity and imagination our young artists brought to each market.

Thanks for a wonderful summer, San Rafael!

What happens when artists from different generations come together to talk about age?

"Let’s Talk About Age" brings together collaborative artwork by 24 artists, pairing Youth in Arts’ I AM teen artists with artists 65 and older. Together, they explored ageism, stereotypes, personal experiences, and the assumptions we make about one another.

Join us for the opening reception this Friday, September 18, from 4–6 PM at the Youth in Arts Gallery & ArtLab.

📍 917 C Street, San Rafael
🎨 September 18 – November 6
🕐 Gallery hours: Monday–Friday, 11 AM–4 PM
Free and open to the public.

⏰ Applications close TOMORROW. If you're 13–19 and looking for a way to get paid this fall while building real art skills, this is it. I AM teaches you printmaking from scratch and turns your voice into a poster the whole community will see. Zero experience needed — just bring your ideas. Sessions run Tuesdays & Thursdays, Sept. 22–Nov. 12.

🔗 Don't wait: https://forms.gle/FhiQtBCndrdhP4867 — Applications due September 11.

⏰ Las solicitudes cierran MAÑANA. Si tienes entre 13 y 19 años y buscas una forma de ganar dinero este otoño mientras desarrollas habilidades artísticas reales, esta es tu oportunidad. En I AM aprenderás grabado desde cero y convertirás tu voz en un cartel que toda la comunidad podrá ver. No se necesita experiencia, solo trae tus ideas. Las sesiones son los martes y jueves, del 22 de septiembre al 12 de noviembre.

🔗 No esperes más: https://forms.gle/FhiQtBCndrdhP4867 — Las solicitudes vencen el 11 de septiembre.

🎨 Friday night, students from Laurel Dell closed out an incredible two month exhibition with a reception in the Youth in Arts Gallery! The show featured Pathways, Gateways and Bridges to College and Beyond, the Pathways to College Story Walk, and San Rafael Responds to the Challenges of Sea Level Rise.

It was an intimate but powerful evening. Young people, parents, and community members spoke with so much energy and heart. We were honored to have families and city leaders in the room.

Dr. Nicola Pitchford, President of Dominican University, spoke beautifully about the impact of this ongoing collaboration between Youth in Arts, UC Berkeley's Y PLAN, San Rafael City Schools, community partners, and Dominican University. Learn more about our programs at youthinarts.org.

Thank you all for your continued support and belief in our students' work. ❤️

Have a passion for the arts and a vision for how young people can thrive through creativity? Youth in Arts is looking for new members to join our Board of Directors.

Board members are hands-on partners, working alongside our staff to grow arts access for young people. If you're ready to bring your voice and expertise to that work, we'd love to hear from you.

Submit your interest form with the 🔗 in our bio.