Cool Young Artists

This week we will describe several organizations for “Cool Young Artists.” Small and large, these have inspired and are inspiring hundreds, thousands and even millions of young artists in the U.S. and around the world.

“Craftworks at Cool Spring” features an 81-acre nature preserve near Charles Town, West Virginia. It is described as a “home for art, nature and sustainability.” They provide “after school” classes for local young artists ages 6 to 9, which includes paint, pastels, collage and pencil creations. They teach about famous artists and art styles and help students create their own “masterpieces.” There are similar classes for ages 10 to 13 designed for the more serious artists who learn new styles and techniques. A $5 materials fee is charged and the next classes, which start each January, among other starting times. Their well designed and easily navigated website features blog opportunities, membership pages, email updates and a “Jefferson County Arts and Culture Calendar” describing local artistic and related events. Its a “cool” site and facility!

On its website, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers describes the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization as “the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the U.S., and the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers.” (The link is not associated with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.) With a legacy back to 1923, the Alliance has encouraged over 13 million students and recognized more than 9 million young artists. The organization has also made available over $25 million in awards and scholarships.

Would you like a quite extensive listing of famous modern artists, famous contemporary artists, art styles and art techniques, with a brief description of each one? How about a current description of “Art News” from all over the world? Check out Modern & Contemporary Artists and Art. This site provides a huge variety of information and is easily navigated.

The 24th Street Theatre is a unique and hybrid arts organization providing free after school arts enrichment programs, an outreach program for at-risk teens, art teacher training programs, gallery exhibits and much more. The organization strives to engage people of all ages, races and income levels. It strives for thought-provoking and relevant cutting-edge art from such diverse forms as professional development teacher workshops to arts education school workshops to musical concerts and seasonal theatrical productions.

Finally, Cool Young Artists came across the Young Artists for Haiti featured by CoolSpotters.Com. This is a Canadian movement to engage young musicians to help with the ongoing effort supporting Canadian charities as they help the people of Haiti to overcome the devastation of the January 12, 2010 earthquake. Only a month after the devastation, 50 of Canada’s best and brightest artists met and produced a rendition of the renowned hip hop artist K’naan’s “Wavin’ Flag,” which included specific lyrics for Haiti with proceeds going to Free the Children, War Child Canada and Word Vision Canada. Their website features profiles of nine “Young Artists for Haiti,” including Lights, Justin Bieber, Emily Haines, Deryck Whibley, Kardinal Offishall, Pierre Bouvier, Nelly Furtado, K’Naan and Avril Lavigne.

Cool Young Artists will also feature articles on individual artists and their work in coming articles. Let us know what you would like. As always, your comments and questions are most welcome. Thank you for reading!