Support Art Education and Inspire Young Artists

From May 4–July 31, 2023, YoungArts presented Megafauna Land Dwellers an exhibition exploring pressing environmental issues through art created by 28 dancers, designers, photographers, visual artists and writers. Curated by Naomi Fisher (1994 Visual Arts), artist, curator and co-founder of Bas Fisher Invitational (BFI), the group exhibition highlighted works that responded to vital topics such as eco-feminism, nature and wildlife conservation, artificial landscapes, activism and biodiversity.

Fisher’s artistic and curatorial practices are defined by humanity’s interaction with nature and its’ impact on the planet, as well as the inspiration natural forms have on how humans build and decorate dwellings, design functional objects and inspire art. For Megafauna Land Dwellers, these considerations were expanded into a larger and more textured dialogue through interdisciplinary and intergenerational voices.

Naomi Fisher shared: “We are at a critical time on planet earth, the urgency to change our lifestyles to combat climate change is clear based on many scientific reports, yet not enough action to reduce carbon in the necessary timeline is underway. Sometimes there is despair, and art brings us back to a place of contemplation through visual explorations of ideas rooted in many mediums. Art enlightens our awareness of how we perceive, interact with, and rely on nature.”

Megafauna Land Dwellers was part of YoungArts’ annual exhibition schedule, which provides space for an intergenerational group of artists across disciplines to present work that contemplates pressing issues from our past and present that affect our future. Invited guest artists or curators expand on the idea of conventional exhibition-making to embrace the idea of mentorship and peer-to-peer exchange between artists that are part of the YoungArts community and beyond.

Participating artists, who are all YoungArts award winners from the last 40 years, were:

• Priscilla Aleman, 2009 Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts
• Lizette Avineri, 2007 Visual Arts
• Andie Aylsworth, 2018 Visual Arts
• Marcus Bui, 2023 Photography
• Liza Butts, 2012 Visual Arts
• Catherine Camargo, 2017 Visual Arts
• Michelle Chen, 2016 Writing
• Juan Jose Cielo, 2015 Visual Arts
• Zoe Dorado, 2023 Writing
• Mackenzie Duan, 2023 Writing
• Nicole Eisenman, 1983 Visual Arts
• Charlotte Gagliardi, 2023 Design Arts
• Ava Tiye Kinsey, 2004 Writing & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts
• Smriti Krishnan, 2012 Dance
• Olivia Le, 2023 Writing
• Michael Loveland, 1991 Visual Arts
• Jonathan Lovett, 2019 Photography
• Lilly Mitrani, 2023 Photography
• Zora Nooks, 2023 Photography
• Isabel Oliva, 2017 Visual Arts
• Lee Pivnik, 2014 Visual Arts
• Coralina Rodriguez Meyer, 2000 Visual Arts
• Vinicius de Aguiar Sanchez, 2007 Visual Arts
• Nicole Salcedo, 2006 Visual Arts
• Zoe Schweiger, 2018 Visual Arts
• Nadir Souirgi, 1994 Visual Arts
• Cornelius Tulloch, 2016 Design Arts & Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts
• Gabrielle Vitollo, 2008 Visual Arts

YoungArts envisions a world that embraces artists as vital to our humanity. Central to this vision is our country's young artists. They are the future: the creative minds who bravely challenge norms, encourage communities to think differently, innovate and evolve.

Each day, YoungArts works towards this vision and in January, YoungArts hosted National YoungArts Week, a seven-day intensive training program for YoungArts competition finalists: 138 of the nation’s most accomplished 15-18 year old artists. These artists convened in Miami to collaborate with peers across 10 disciplines and develop their craft with internationally recognized leaders in their field including author Richard Blanco, actor and playwright Taylor Mac, jazz alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, costume designer Machine Dazzle and actor BD Wong, among others. Exposure to this caliber of professional artist can be profound for a young person.

During this week-long program, YoungArts hosted 225 sessions including masterclasses, rehearsals, workshops and wellness sessions, in which young artists learned discipline-specific techniques, were trained in interdisciplinary collaboration, and had valuable one-on-one time with coaches and panelists to receive custom feedback about their work. Each artist participated in about 40 hours of programming.

Throughout the week, participating artists shared their work with live and virtual audiences over the course of four nights of performances at New World Center in Miami Beach, as well as an evening of writers’ readings and an exhibition opening at the YoungArts Campus in downtown Miami. A total of 2,187 individuals attended in person and an additional 1,200 unique individuals viewed the live stream on youngarts.org.

Bringing these artists to Miami when they are first discovering and honing their creative practice is profound. Not only are young artists learning how to propel their artistic practice forward through training and mentorship, but they are also building a support system that can advocate for them for years to come.YoungArts endeavors to affirm the bravery of these artists by providing resources that nurture talent, expand networks, and foster collaboration and individuality. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported YoungArts and its mission to identify exceptional young artists, amplify their potential, and invest in their lifelong creative freedom. 

Links:

• 2023 National YoungArts Week Performances