ST LOUIS ARTWORKS
5959 Delmar, StLouis, MO 63112 stlartworks.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Our mission is to broaden educational and career opportunities for youth in the St. Louis region through apprenticeships in the arts and through community collaborations.

St. Louis ArtWorks is an innovative job training program in the arts for teens. Teens are apprenticed to professional artists and work in teams developing works of art for sale, commission, and public performance. The teens receive workforce development, career preparation, arts education, and life skills training, all while creating art and earning a stipend. The artists and apprentices work together in teams with each team focusing on a different artistic discipline such as print making, sculpture, textiles, etc. Youth experience learning the business of art by working with commissioning clients. Our largest program is our six-week summer program. Youth work five hours a day, five days a week, in June and July. We also offer a program in the fall and spring of several afternoons after school each week and on Saturdays. Each year our applicant numbers grow. In 2019 we received 543 applications and provided 197 paid apprenticeships to youth ages 14 - 19.Those who receive the opportunity to become apprentices are typically underserved youth who are inspired through the creation of art and are motivated to commit to a job. On average, 70% of the youth in our programs are underserved, defined by age, gender, neighborhood, and HUD Poverty Level. ArtWorks Enterprises - called AWE - is our social venture comprised of three enterprises - Boomerang Press, BoomerRacks, and BloomWorks. AWE provides revenue to help sustain the organization and to help young people develop life-changing employment skills and attitudes. Youth from all programs are invited to join ArtWorks Enterprise based on their skills and professional performance. Boomerang Press/Media teaches cross disciplinary skills in video, design, layout, and illustration through graphics and media services to clients. BoomerRacks creates bike racks and related works of art using up-cycled bike parts. BloomWorks focuses on sustainable development projects for the garden, public parks, and urban streetscapes by producing rain barrels, planters, landscape plans, and art from up-cycled materials. Recognizing that technology and the workforce are ever-changing, it is important to evaluate our programing and continually develop the best practices based on national data and labor trends to create contemporary training programs for youth. ArtWorks' programs are measured using qualitative and quantitative forms at pre- mid- and post-program intervals. Apprentices complete an artistic discipline test specific to their area of study in the first week of the program and during the last week of programming. Apprentices also complete a program impact evaluation. This evaluation asks questions about demographics, art interest, academics, program knowledge, life skills knowledge, and future career and/or educational training. As the need for a more skilled workforce becomes an ever-increasing issue, it is vividly apparent that many of our urban youth are unprepared for this challenge. At ArtWorks, we are dedicated to helping bridge this learning gap through our unique job training and education program. Our program uses the framework of 21st century skills (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity) to help underserved youth access opportunities in education and careers that might otherwise be missed. Each youth graduates our programs with a bank account, resume, and portfolio of work with the result being youth who have the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in work, life, and citizenship.

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