In a groundbreaking initiative for Santa Cruz County, the Institute for Arts & Sciences (IAS) recently completed its first-ever youth internship program, Art For All, aimed at introducing high school students to the inner workings of the art world. Funded by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, the four-week program brought together juniors and seniors from local schools for an immersive, hands-on experience in exhibition curation, installations, event planning, and museum education.
“This is an art program that exceeds the expectations of an art program,” said Emma, a participant from Watsonville High School. Students visited prominent cultural spaces, including San Francisco’s Mission District murals, Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center, and IAS’s own partner institutions, Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos and the San José Museum of Art. They also engaged with arts professionals to learn more about potential career paths.
The program went beyond art instruction, encouraging students to grapple with social issues through creative expression. IAS’s current exhibition, Seeing Through Stone, which addresses the realities of mass incarceration in the U.S., served as a focal point for discussions on art and justice. Participants contributed directly to the exhibition, with some creating an audio tour and others working on installations like Solitary Garden, a piece that highlights the isolation of solitary confinement.
“My biggest takeaway is that in order to be educated on subjects that aren’t mainstream, I need to fight for my own rights as a student,” said Grayson of Cypress High School. Ricardo, another student from Watsonville High, described his role as “very special because it felt like I was giving back to the community.”
Rachel Nelson, the director of IAS, expressed her appreciation for the Monterey Peninsula Foundation’s support in bringing Art For All to life. With the program hailed as a success, the IAS plans to continue next summer, expanding its mission to connect more students to the arts.
For many participants, the experience went beyond learning technical skills—it fostered a sense of community. “I’m most proud of the connections I’ve made and the people I can now call my friends,” said Natti from Watsonville High. Jaden from Santa Cruz High agreed, calling it “one of the best internships I’ve ever joined; it feels like an actual community.”
As Art For All wraps its inaugural year, it leaves a lasting impression, suggesting a promising future for youth engagement in the arts.
Source: UCSC News
