Teen Arts Week Returns March 2-8, And 92Y Announces Contest For Teens

92Y announces the second annual Teen Arts Week will take place March 2-8, 2020. It's seven days of FREE cultural events for NYC youth in all five boroughs. Dozens of leading arts organizations will offer classes, performances, music jams, poetry slams, art-making, films, career workshops, and more. Teens will be able to gain hands-on experience, engage with professionals in the creative industries, and explore pathways to future leadership within the context of the arts. All events are free to students 14 + with a valid school ID, and educators are invited to bring student groups. Participants are encouraged to use the hashtag #TeenArtsWeek and share their experiences on social media. Learn more

New this year, 92Y will honor a teenager from each of the 5 boroughs with The Teen Arts Week Citizen-Artist Award, which recognizes creative New York City teens who have made a significant contribution to their local community through the arts. The deadline for nominations is Mon, Feb 10, and details and nomination applications are here. Citizen-Artist Award recipients will also receive $500 and will be recognized at the Teen Arts Week Launch Event held at the 92nd Street Y on Mon, Mar 2 at 11am. The teens and their schools will be featured on the Teen Arts Week website and promotional materials.

Teen Arts Week is NYC's only citywide celebration of the arts for teens. This year's cultural partners include Manhattan Theatre Club, Sing for Hope, Hook Arts Media, BAM, the Metropolitan Museum, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center Education, and a wide array of participating institutions across the boroughs. Launched in 2019, Teen Arts Week was spearheaded by 10 high school students in 92Y's Teen Producers program, a two-year career exploration and mentorship program for New York City public high school students who are passionate about the arts and arts production. For more information about the Teen Producers program read here .

Teen Arts Week reflects the diversity and dynamism of creativity in our city's youth. Here's a sampling of the range of free activities:

Playwriting Workshop and Tickets to The Perplexed, Manhattan Theatre Club, NY, NY
Thu, Mar 5, 4-10 pm
Young people will participate in a playwriting workshop lead by a Manhattan Theatre Club Teaching Artist and have the chance to witness career paths in writing, acting, and other creative positions in the theater industry. Students will write original short works based off the themes and structure of the new play The Perplexed, and then watch as guest artists perform their work. Students will then transition to City Center where they will see the off-Broadway production of The Perplexed.

College Access Workshop, Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, Jamaica, NY
Sat, Mar 7, 3-6 pm
Students will learn how to use the arts to enhance their college applications. Workshop facilitators will help them learn about the intersection of college and career choice, build their college list, explore financial aid options, and dispel myths about the process.

Dance and Create: Contemporary Dance Class, Mark Morris Dance Group, Brooklyn, NY
Tue, Mar 3, 5:30-7 pm
Led by our Arts Immersion Teens, this all-levels contemporary dance class includes a chance to create your own choreography! Starting with a warm-up and acquisition of contemporary dance skills, this class will progress into choreography as well as an opportunity to reflect on what you create together. The reflection will include information about what a career in dance might look like, whether you want to be a choreographer, performer, teacher, or arts administrator!

The Art of Gardening, The Point CDC, Bronx, NY
Wed, March 4, 4-7:30 pm
Got a green thumb? Come learn more about the history of nature's influence on the art world! Participants will make small flowerpots to take home.

Beats and Blends, Projectivity Group, Staten Island, NY
Thu, Mar 5, 4:30-6:30 pm
Calling all aspiring beat makers! Participants will learn to mix and blend beats. Take home an original beat to use and show off to your friends!

Teen Arts Week Participating Organizations are:
BRIC, Brooklyn Academy Of Music, Bronx Documentary Center, Brooklyn Museum, Carnegie Hall's Future Music Project, Green Space, Guggenheim, Hook Arts Media, ICP, Irondale, JCAL Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, Lincoln Center Education, Manhattan Theatre Club, Mark Morris Dance Group, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Museum of the Moving Image, New-York Historical Society, The Point, Projectivity, Sing for Hope, STREB, Studio Museum in Harlem, Urban Word NYC and 92Y.

For more information, contact TeenArtsWeek@92Y.org or visit 92Y.org/TeenArtsWeek.