Spark

June 17, 2020

Partnership Highlight: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale

Community partnerships are crucial to Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation’s mission to generate a thriving community through intentional, outcome-based experiences that promote mental, physical, and social well-being. This week, we are focusing on our partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale.

For the past two years, Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation has partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale (BGCS) in our first after-school career advancement program, Club Creatives.

Club Creatives participants show off their new painting skills after working together with local artist (and former club member!) Antoinette Cauley. Photo: Scottsdale Arts.

Club Creatives enhances Scottsdale Arts’ connection to youth in our community in order to build the next generation of art lovers and creative contributors. Club Creatives is designed to empower youth and encourage positive identity by providing constructive activities outside of school that develop skills and increase social competencies, such as decision-making, interpersonal competence, and conflict resolution. 

Members at the Ruth & Baley Barker Branch of BGCS spent a week with self-proclaimed “Junk Lady” Shari Keith, learning about upcycled design and reusing cardboard materials to collaborate on an eco-art sculpture. Photo: Scottsdale Arts.

I think it is nice we have an opportunity to work with and learn with artists from the community.

Jason N., Barker Branch  

This year, club members worked with six local professional artists who specialized in acrylic and watercolor painting, printmaking, collage, upcycled design, collaborative art, and digital/alternative photography processes.

The Club Creatives program enables BGCS teens to have arts experiences they couldn’t find anywhere else. From photography class in a professional studio to extended artist-led workshops, the Club Creatives programs exemplify the high-quality programming we strive to offer our members. One of the great benefits of bringing teaching artists into our Clubs, via Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, is teens who may not consider themselves “artsy” have the opportunity to explore art-making and contribute to their creative community. The workshops enable our teens to discover their own artistic voice and also give teens from diverse backgrounds the chance to create, learn, and grow together.

Lyndal Pleasant, former director of arts programming for BGCS
ImageMakers is a five-part series where teens worked with local photographer Nader Abushhab at Parkwood Studios to learn about portraiture lighting, fashion photography, short and long exposures, and editing.
Photo: Courtesy Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale

“I loved ImageMakers. It brought out the creative side of my photos.”

Reyna C., Thunderbirds Branch 

Club Creatives is generously supported by The Charro Foundation and Dr. Feingold Conservation Fund.

Back to Spark home.
CONNECTIONS: Amplify |  Immerse | Inspire