Kennedy Heights Arts Center

6546 Montgomery Road
Cincinanati, OH 45213

Teen Artists for Change and Tellus Zine

The grant from Charles H. Dater Foundation is being used to support two teen programs: Tellus Zine and Teen Artists for Change. Both programs have had a successful fall semester as they took on fruitful collaborations that helped teens connect with their peers and make a difference in their community.

A group of 10 diverse teens participated in Teen Artists for Change working with professional ceramicist Sage Hummel. They learned about the process of ceramics and its relationship with the environment, and created work focused on the environmental issues and climate change as overarching themes, building confidence in their ability to convey a message through their art. KHAC collaborated with GreenAcres Arts Center (GAAC.) Students took a field trip to GAAC where they learned about the center’s commitment to the environment and art. Students explored the grounds through an engaging hike and collected raw clay from the streambed. This experience emphasized students' understanding of the relationship between ceramics and nature. The students showcased their artwork at the GAAC galleries in an exhibition called “Conversation Through Conservation.” which was viewed by 806 visitors (primarily public school students) between 11/16/24 and 1/17/24. This collaboration gave teens an opportunity to showcase and speak about their art to a broader audience.

15 diverse and dedicated students from across Greater Cincinnati joined the Tellus Zine 2023-2024 Editorial Board. At the beginning of the school year, members participated in several events including the Cincinnati Art Book Fair and zinecinnati, as well as a board retreat. Here, as a group they workshopped ideas for the upcoming year and finalized the theme for the spring issue. In the fall, the Tellus Zine editorial board collaborated with the Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) to create its first ever fall issue of the zine. The issue was inspired and titled after the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s traveling exhibition, “Girlhood, (It’s Complicated).” This exhibition showcased 200 years of history about girlhood on topics of work, news and politics, fashion, education, and health/wellness. As part of the collaboration, Tellus members participated in the CMC’s “Girl Day.” Board members first toured the exhibition, asking each other questions and taking in the complexities of the topic; then they hosted an artmaking event for CMC visitors leading artmaking with a focus on collage and creative writing. They asked participants to consider themes about girlhood and what it means to them.

On 10/19/23 the Tellus Zine editorial board led 44 CMC teens in a group art making workshop. Board members worked with CMC teens to create five large scale collage pieces that highlighted the topics from the exhibition. After completing these workshops, the Tellus members designed, wrote for, and curated a 36 page zine. To celebrate this accomplishment the teens organized a launch party for their peers. 25 students participated in a full-filled evening that included a movie, snacks, crafts, and sharing the zine.

The editorial board is now taking applications for the spring issue of Tellus Zine, issue 5 “Value.” Through this program, the teens show an eagerness for learning, an immense amount of leadership and passion to uplift teen voices.

Website: http://www.kennedyarts.org
Amount: $30,000
Date: July 2023