The AFH Blog

Iconic Neiman Marcus discovers Artists For Humanity

2012-01-20T17:50:00.000-08:00

While AFH has received numerous commissions from a variety of clients,the latest one to come through our sculpture studio has caused quite a buzz inour building. Recently, AFH’s 3D-Design Departmentwas commissioned to create unique store displays for renowned fashion retailer,Neiman Marcus, and the teens were up to the task!

Thanks to a little bitof luck, and a lot of internet-search-kismet, Senior Designer for StoreDevelopment, Steve Vanlandingham, found AFH amidst a vague search for youth artgroups. “I saw AFH’s ReVision tables online, and reached out by phone,”Vanlandingham told us, “AFH talked to me about the possibility of using our oldcatalogs (the famous Neiman Marcus, “the Book”) to cover a wood table and cubethat I designed for our women’s apparel and accessories sections.”

Design and build planswere developed by a team of AFH teen artists with mentors Nick Farnham andJamison Sellers overseeing the plan. The team painstakingly culled and cutstrips from “the Book,” placing them with a precision that transformed the woodsurface into a shimmering representation of Neiman Marcus' sensibility. Lots of experimentation with the placement of the strips by colors anddesign, over many weeks made for a very upbeat studio experience.

“We tried so many techniques until we figured outwhat works!” remarked Tri Huynh about the challenges, and straight-up fun ofproducing the table and cubes. “We never applied resin using a brushed processbefore. It was a trip, with a lot of drip!” Tri teamed with Cameron Akeredoluon the finishing elements of a 6 ft. table and two, 2 ½ foot cubes destined fora new Neiman-Marcus store, soon to open in Walnut Creek, CA. Cameron found theresin application daunting at first. “This was a new thing for us; so after wefreaked a bit getting the hang of it, it was pretty cool when we discovered howto make it look sweet.”

“The whole project was fun and anew experience. My mom used to work at Neiman’s in Natick. I would have neverimagined that I’d have the opportunity to make something artistic for one oftheir stores,” Juanita Grim said with a bright smile. “My mouth waters over thebeautiful clothes whenever I’m there. But now I’ll have a whole newperspective; I’ll probably be checking out the displays as much as themerchandise!”

The AFH design team can’t wait tohear how Neiman shoppers react when they see the custom ReVision display tables.“I thought what they (NM) wanted to do was very creative,” AFH teen Dana Durfeepronounced. “I’m happy they cameto AFH to make it.”

For more amazing designs createdin our sculpture studio, click here!

The Adventure Continues...

2012-01-18T09:19:00.000-08:00

For the past three months, AFH and the Boston Public Health Commission have enlisted Draco Prosapia, a Boston-based skate team, to help promote drinking water over sugar-sweetened beverages. The team, created in 2007 by AFH Motion Graphics Mentor Mikey Guadarrama, is made up of 60 skaters ranging in age from 9 to 26. Along with supporting the creation of the Charles River Skate Park, DP has helped part the sugary seas and spread the word of water by skating all over the city and passing out AFH-custom-made stickers, t-shirts, and posters.

Check out the latest video crafted in our Graphics Studio and keep looking-out for the DP crew as they continue to take over the city streets and support healthy drinks!

For more info on how to join the DP skate team, click here.
For more info on the dangers of drinking sugar, click here.
For more info on how to do backflips, click here.

EpiCenter's New Entry Way Wins People's Choice Award!

2012-01-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

Looks like we're not the only ones who love our new awning!We are thrilled to announce that AFH's sculpture department has been awarded First Place in the Exterior Category in the6th Annual People's Choice 3form Installation Contest!

We are soproud of the AFH teens in our 3-D Design and Sculpture Studio and theirmentors Nick Farnham and Jamison Sellers, who helped design andfabricate such a beautiful entry way to our LEED Platinum CertifiedEpiCenter! Huge thanks to architect and MassArt Professor Sam Batchelor,South Boston Local 7 Ironworkers, and MassArt Grad studentswho contributed their services and helped turn our dream ofa creative protected entry way into an award winning reality!CONGRATS EVERYONE!

Come see theawning for yourself! Call 617-268-7620 to schedule a tour of theEpiCenter and meet our talented teen-artists!

Happy New Year from Artists for Humanity!

2012-01-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

We hope you are enjoying this holiday season and send warm wishes

for a prosperous and inspired new year! Thank you for your

continued generosity and support - we could not do the work that we do

without you. We so hope you will consider a year end contribution

in support of our teen artists, such as Cameron Akeredolu,

who's story captures the AFH experience I'd like to share.

“When I started coming to AFH, I was in a little trouble. I had made a

mistake. At AFH, I wasn't judged. Instead I was advised about better

ways to conduct myself so I could be more successful, maybe even

make a contribution to something good.

“I started my experience in the painting studio and later moved to

sculpture where I’ve worked on a bunch of awesome projects! One of

my absolute favorites is our ReVision line of furniture. It all started as a way

to recycle junk mail and magazines into something that would look cool

and be useful. It’s now a diverse line of products that we have been marketing all

over the country. Last March, I got to go to New York City with a couple of my studio-mates to

help work at our booth at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. We showed our pieces and

won the prize for Most Socially Responsible Exhibit at the show. Everyone loved our booth and it

was a pretty awesome experience.

“Another amazing opportunity was designing bike racks for Mission Hill Main Streets. We built models and did 3-D drawings on the computer and then presented them to a panel. They loved the designs, and mine was one that was picked. We built them out of steel. Now when I walk past Brigham Circle, I’ll point out my bike rack and tell my friends, ‘I made that!’

“Just last week my studio mates and I helped construct the awning for the entrance to the EpiCenter. This project was a lot of fun! MassArt’s Design/Build students worked with us on the design and installation. It was cool to collaborate with them and the architects who built the EpiCenter. I really liked being part of a project that beautifies the neighborhood and helps an organization that has helped me so much.

“After working on all of these interesting creative design and building projects, I have developed a strong passion for the career I want to pursue. I want to become a civil engineer and continue to be involved in projects that enrich the community and make the city a better place to live. Thanks, AFH, for showing me this career path, letting me know what I’m capable of achieving, and giving me a chance to do something special."

All of us at Artists For Humanity are continually working to provide these opportunities to the 250 young people we employ each year. We hope you can see their talent, appreciate their enthusiasm for new opportunities, and continue to support them as they become leaders in their communities.

Click here to donate online, and thank you.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2012!
Susan Rodgerson
Executive/Artistic Director

Help us make 2012 great!

2011-12-28T11:40:00.000-08:00

Have you made your New Year's resolutions yet?

In 2012, Artists For Humanity resolves to employ more under-resourced youth with jobs in the arts! And with your help, we will!

What began with six teens twenty years ago, has blossomed into a fullcommunity of mentors and staff and students all committed to create,learn, grow, and empower each other. In 2011, we employed over 200teens with jobs in painting, graphic design, photography, videography,3D design, and silk-screening. With 2012 approaching, we are strivingto expand our facility in order to provide more opportunities forartistic employment for our talented Boston teens, and yourcontributions help sustain our micro-arts enterprise.

So, as 2011 comes to a close, we ask that you take a minute to checkout our site, our artists, and our mission. AFH wouldn't be possiblewithout you, and with your support, we will continue to grow, inspire,and cultivate the young minds through creative jobs.

Thanks to everyone who helped make our 2011 the best yet... and here's to a bright 2012!

To learn more about AFH, click here.

To donate to AFH and help sustain our unique, entrepreneurial micro-arts enterprise, click here.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2012!

Q and A with Carolyn Shin, 2012 YoungArts “Visual Arts” Merit Award Winner!

2011-12-22T17:09:00.000-08:00

Carolyn Shin isa familiar face in the Epicenter Painting Studio. She has been an unpaid AFH apprentice for the past threeyears, working five hours a week …and traveling to the EpiCenter from Weston,MA. Big news for Carolyn is that she has been chosen as a 2012YoungArts Merit Award Winner from more than 5,000 applicants in nine disciplinesin the visual, literary and performing arts. Shin is one 271 Merit Award Winners,selected in a blind adjudication process from a pool representing all 50 statesand the District of Columbia, as well as all U.S. territories.

In addition tobeing called, “one of 2012 Best and Brightest Young Artists in the nation,” Carolynwill receive a monetary award! (for more about YoungArts and the NationalFoundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) click here.)

Blog: What inspires you in your paintings?

Carolyn: I discovered that it is essential for me to be always attentive andattuned to the world around me. I have been especially intrigued by the natureof habits so I have studied my own “bad habits” by exploring and mimicking therepetitive, nitty-gritty nature of peeling and scratching through layers oftape, x-acto knives, and sanding paper on wooden panels. Many of my works thatdepict Bovidae and Cervidae animal species are drawn from the museum’s Hornsand Antlers exhibit. My heightened awareness of the workings of habit has ledme to see the links between these animals and what is beneath the skin: mychildhood experiences, memories, and dreams. Bovidae, Cervidae, darkness,earthy tones — I realized these all have counterparts in my grandparents’ lodgethat I visited often as a child.

Blog: How has your experience at Artists For Humanity helpedyou as an artist?

Carolyn: While I have experienced art as a way to self-discovery, I havealso experienced it as an agent of community building and social change. AFHhas made me feel that I am increasingly more in conversation with otherartists. It is such an honor to work at this unique organization. I have animmense appreciation for what AFH does for talented kids, and for helping meexpand my horizons. I am grateful to be at AFH because it gave me newfriendships and greater inspiration to pursue the arts.

Blog: What lead you to enter theYoung Arts Competition?

Carolyn: During the summer of 2011, the two weeks at the Marie WalshSharpe Art Foundation (WMS) program in Colorado Springs turned out to be themost intense and transformative time I had. Only twenty had been selected forthis full-scholarship program. While it was very challenging, I was encouragedto apply for the YoungArts Competition. Before coming here I was too afraid totry, but I decided that there was nothing to lose. All of us decided to try.

Blog: What was your reaction to being selected as one of theBest and Brightest Young Artists in the nation?

Carolyn: Honestly, I was very surprised because this competition is knownto be almost impossible to gain recognition for. I am just so thankful for thisaward, and I'm glad that all the hard work paid off! It is a good feeling toget recognition for doing what you are the most passionate about.

Blog: What is next for you?

Carolyn: I'm not quite sure what I want to do exactly, but I do have bigdreams: I want to have my own solo exhibition one day, continue exploring mypast, and share the transformative potential of art with more communities.Currently, my number one dream is to become an inspirational educator and makea difference in other people’s lives. Art education is extremely importantbecause it leads people to study the bonds between art and its surroundings.

Blog: CONGRATULATIONSCarolyn! You are in inspiration!!

Take a look at some of the Carolyn’s work and click here to see the workof more AFH painters that are for sale. 50% of all sales go to the artist and50% to support AFH programs.

That Love n' STUFF

2011-12-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

Check out the fashionistas and trend-setters that celebrated 20 years of AFH with us! Thanks STUFF Magazine!

For the Love of Art Holiday Sale Photo Recap!

2011-12-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

Manning the AFH t-shirts and holiday cards

Our 4^th Annual For the Love of Art Holiday Salewas a merry success! Special thanks to Capers Catering, who provided delicious hors d’oeuvres, and to Cow and Crumb Baking Company, whose cookie decorating station was a huge hit with the kids and kids at heart! And the sale of teen designs? It was the best ever and put huge smiles on the faces of the teen artists. So, a shout-out to Samantha Strauss,Medicine Wheel Productions, AFH studio mentors and teen artists... and all theshoppers who bought gifts for the love of art!

Checking out the AFH goods

Cow and Crumb cookies!

Lounging on our hand-painted "Have A Seat" Gala chairs

Teen-photographers pose for the camera

AFH Co-Founder Jason Talbot creating portraits

Taking over the Cow and Crumb cookie decorating station!

Wall-decals made by our Graphics department

Creating an original inside our Pollock Paint Box!

More cookie-decorating!

Custom-designed, hand-painted KEDS for sale!

Missed the sale? You can still shop AFH on line for holiday gifts or just for the love of art! Check out our online shop here!

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun! Day 12!

2011-12-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

Today's the day! Starting at 4:00pm, our EpiCenter will be full of art, food, treats, and merriment! Come and see for yourself all of the cool activities happening throughout our building at our 4th Annual For the Love of Art Holiday Sale!

See you later!

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun! Day 11!

2011-12-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

As you enter the EpiCenter to attend For The Love of Art Holiday Sale tomorrow...look up! While the merriment will be happening inside the EpiCenter—from cookie-decorating and live portraits in the Lewis Gallery, to teen-artists painting on the 3^rd floor—our exterior has a new welcome! The 18' new awning that adorns our front door is the amazing creation of Sam Batchelor, Architect and MASS ART Professor, South Boston Local 7 Ironworkers, MASS ART Grad Students, and the teen artists and mentors in AFH's 3D Design and Sculpture Studio. Constructed just in time for AFH's big 20^th Anniversary Gala on 11.11.11, the awning is a true collaboration of adults and teen artists, and we are so proud to have a permanent covered entrance that makes our LEED Platinum Certified Green EpiCenter that much more inviting!

Teen artists, AFH mentors, and MASS Art Grads meet with Sam Batchelor to discuss the awning's design and construction.

A Miniature EpiCenter Model!

Getting down to business.

"Looks boss!"

Come see the awning for yourself this Monday at our For the Love of Art Holiday Sale from 4-7pm and enjoy the festivities happening inside the EpiCenter. All are welcome to attend!

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun! Day 10!

2011-12-10T15:52:00.001-08:00

We've all experienced it--suddenly, cousin Tiffany has a new boy friend and she's bringing him to holiday dinner. And he is bringing his brother who cousin Tiffany thinks will get along oh-so-well with cousin Paula. Love is definitely in the air this holiday season! But where, you might ask, will all these new "smitten" guests sit? Not to worry-- we've got your seating needs covered!

This Monday, December 12, 2011, come check out the last of our teen-designed, hand-painted masterpieces left over from our 20th Anniversary Gala. These unique seats will be selling for a one-time-only holiday price, so be sure to get here early before they find another home to adorn!

Our 3rd floor painting studio will also be open for you to check out more incredible pieces made by our talented teens!

The 4th Annual For the Love of Art Holiday Sale starts at 4pm and goes until 7...click here for more info and directions!

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun! Part 9!

2011-12-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

Remember that famous first telegraph transmission from Samuel Morse, “What hath AFH wreathed?” (at least that’s how we heard it) Okay, too young for telegraph lore, then how ‘bout this famous maxim- “Read it and Wreath!”

Not ringing a bell? Well maybe it’s better to show than tell when speaking Wreath-ology!

Drawing from the age old tradition of making Holiday gifts skillfully and lovingly by hand, our teen-sculptors have been working like a team of Duchamp–led elves to craft these incredible wreaths from discarded magazines. What better way to show your DIY–spirit and sense of iconoclasm than to flaunt one of these beauties in an easy to peep spot around the house.

You may have a store or nursery bought evergreen or plastic version on the front door now. They’re kind of pretty. But AFH reclaimed paper wreaths...they’ll rock the holiday block!!

Come one and all to see these eco wreaths and so much more at AFH's best ever 4th annual For The Love of Art Holiday Sale at the EpiCenter on Monday, December 12 from 4 -7 pm.

12 Days of AFH Holiday FUn! Day 8!

2011-12-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

It’s all about sharing the love during the holiday season. And so AFH is happy to have our friends at Medicine Wheel Productions join in at the For the Love of Art Holiday Sale. They will be selling lanterns and handmade stationery and journals.

Like AFH, MWP encourages empowerment through involvement in the arts. Their headquarters, No Man's Land, centered on the reclamation of an abandoned lot in Dorchester Heights Park, is now a beautiful center for arts education, entrepreneurship and self-expression. Don’t miss a chance to learn more about Medicine Wheel Productions and buy a gift that will keep on giving.

See you at the EpiCenter on Monday December 12th from 4-7pm!

Blog post by Shannon Sullivan

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun! Day 7!

2011-12-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

Shop for the Love of Art (and Conscious Consumerism)

A little holiday philosophy from AFH’s Rich Frank

A personality-related study was made of individuals exhibiting socially conscious consumer behavior. It was found that these may be characterized as “self-actualizing” as Maslow uses the term*. Hmm, self-actualizing. That’s at the top of the basic needs pyramid – above sex, security, friendship, self-esteem – heady stuff.

While that little blue box from Tiffany sends chills, a bite of the Apple sparks a sudden rise in blood pressure, heck, even the red glow of the Target bulls-eye elicits grins in many circles (excuse the pun), none of these fleeting pleasures lifts us to our highest human condition like buying something beautiful, original, and cool – and supporting the greatest youth arts organization in Boston while you’re at it!

At AFH, we’re attentive to our collective calling for higher consciousness. The urge to do well by doing right. The need to incorporate a heightened aesthetic, gobs of diverse cultural influences, fresh and pulsing art-energy into our lives. Yes, you can have it all- and fantastic food, great conversation, a couple of hours in the neatest building in town, and no pangs of shopping guilt – all in one fun Holiday market experience.

We’re here for you, friends. Let’s self-actualize together. At reasonable prices.

See you on Monday at For the Love of Art. Bring your inner Maslow. Mastercard and Visa gratefully accepted.

* Brooker, “The Self- Actualizing Socially Conscious Consumer”. Journal of Consumer Research, 1976.

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun! Day 6!

2011-12-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

Walls looking a little bare? Spruce them up with some funky AFH Wall Decals! Our Graphics Department has designed a variety of adhesive images that will stick to any surface and will add some easy art to your apartment! These affordable decals, ranging from $5 to $20, are easily removable and come in a variety of images such as chic wreaths, funky farm animals, and mischievous monkeys. Get yours at our Holiday Sale this coming Monday, December 12 from 4-7pm.

Want to see our graphics department in person? The entire EpiCenter will be open for a personal exploration of all our studios! Be sure to check out the second floor, where our photo, sculpture, screen printing, and graphics studios are located. Don't forget to take a trek upstairs to the third floor painting studio and check out some impressive paintings in progress!

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun! Day 5!

2011-12-05T15:56:00.000-08:00

We’ll be satisfying more than just your sweet-tooth at this year’s For the Love of Art Holiday Sale!

Thanks to Capers Catering, one of our preferred caterers, you’ll be able to keep your energy up while shopping for the coolest gifts for your friends and family. Their delectable “Table of Bounty” menu, which features tasty hand-held snacks such as seasonal vegetable crudités with Green Goddess dip, a Tuscan Cheese torte, and an array of imported cheeses and sliced baguettes, is sure to be a palette-pleasing break from perusing our studios' newest creations.

Our 4^th Annual For the Love of Art Holiday Sale on December 12^th will satisfy all of your senses! The celebrations start at 4:00pm and go til 7:00.

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun: Day 4!

2011-12-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

We're making our fourth annual For the Love of Art Holiday Sale even sweeter this year with the help of our friends at Cow&Crumb Bakery!

Not only will they be selling some of their delicious holiday cookies, but they'll also be hosting a cookie-decorating station for you and yours to show off your artistic skills and make some personalized sweet treats!

Mark your calendars for a delicious time at AFH on Monday, December 12th from 4:00-7:00pm!!

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun: Day 3!

2011-12-03T15:58:00.000-08:00

Our photo studio is always busy. When our teen-photographers aren't documenting ALL of the art created at AFH, or covering our events, they're also shooting for clients, such as the Boston-based publication Teens In Print. This year, you can take home some of their personal collection set in a cool, eco-friendly format. These personal photos taken by teen-artists have been set on recycled wood panels and coated in a shiny resin. These small 6''x6'' to 6''x9'' prints are hand-crafted and are priced for under $50.

Pick up one (or more!) for all your shutterbug loves this year at our 4th Annual For the Love of Art Holiday Sale on Monday, December 12th!

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun: Day 2!

2011-12-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

Like super elves, AFH teen-artists have been hard at work in every studio getting ready for our Holiday Sale! Check out the latest to come out of the painting studio...

Paintings will be for sale and are sure to make a unique, inspired gift for the art-lovers in your life!

For more paintings done by our teen-artists this past year, check out our site!

12 Days of AFH Holiday Fun!

2011-12-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

Our 4th annual For the Love of Art Holiday Sale is coming up--and we've got the coolest gifts this season! Check out some of our AFH apparel that will be for sale...but, if for some reason you can't make it on the 12th, (which you really should because of all the eats, treats, and meet and greets) then you can get your AFH gear here.

For more info on our event, check out our facebook event page!

Let the holiday fun begin!

AFH Exhibits at Meditech!

2011-11-28T12:02:00.000-08:00

Recently, Meditech, the leading software vendor in the healthcare informatics industry, asked AFH teen-artists to gussie up their Canton offices with some inspirational art! On Thursday, November 17th, 25 students, staff, and mentors trekked to Meditech to display 45 paintings, 10 kaleidoscope photos, and 7 pieces of funky furniture from our sculpture department’s popular ReVision line. The students were also asked to speak about their work, their process, and what AFH means to them. Jason Talbot, AFH co-founder and videography mentor opened up the forum and explained AFH’s mission and goals, and teen-artists Kershner Williams, Tri Huynh, Cameron Akeredolu, Issac Burgos, and Alice Tran all spoke about their art, making a very intimate and special opening night! About 30 Meditech employees attended this special presentation, and the night was a great success!

The show will be up until mid-January, and all the pieces are for sale, so if you’re in the Canton area, make sure to drop by Meditech and check out the work before it’s too late!

Teen-artist Cameron Akeredolu

Teen-artist Tri Huynh speaks to the crowd.

AFH Co-Founder Jason Talbot welcomes the guests!

For the Love of Art Holiday Open House!

2011-11-22T15:02:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again...and we're inviting you to check out how AFH celebrates for the holidays! Our 4th annual For the Love of Art Holiday Open House is just around the corner..and all of our art departments are gearing up for an afternoon of art, food, and merriment!

Get psyched and stay tuned...more details on awesome, hand-made, student-artists gifts, treats, and surprises to come!

Posted by Kristina Grinovich

AFH + DP + BPHC = H2O!

2011-11-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

As we mentioned earlier, AFH has teamed up with the Boston Public Health Commission to change the way our city thinks about our drinks, particularly the sugar-filled soda beverages that have been fattening up our culture with insidious carbonation and fake flavors. Since September, we've embarked on a unique, energy-filled marketing campaign to showcase the benefits of water and the dangers of sickly sweet sodas, and we've been spreading the message with lightning speed thanks to the student-artists in our Graphics department and the Draco Prosapia (DP) Skate Team. So pour yourself a tall drink of water and check out the newest video AFH and DP created during one of their skate days.

For more info on how those sugar-loaded beverages are slowing you down, check out fatsmack.org and keep checking back for more AFH and DP street team adventures!

Our Party is in Full Bloom!

2011-11-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

An example of an amazing EpiCenter Wedding, decorated by Winston's!

Our 20^th Anniversary "Have a Seat" Gala will be oozing beauty and style with complimentary floral arrangements from Winston Flowers, who we are proud to call our preferred florist!

Like AFH, Winston Flowers was born and bred right here in Boston! It all started on Newbury Street…literally! Back in 1944, Mr. Winston and his teenage son Maynard pushed their humble flower cart onto the bustling street to sell their beautiful designs. Now, 67 years later, their company is one of the most well-respected boutique floral designers in the city and owns six successful stores throughout Massachusetts.

A born entrepreneur with a keen eye for design, Maynard is known for taking his company to the next level, working with clients to create their custom landscapes for weddings and celebrations of all kinds, and we are lucky enough to have them decorate the EpiCenter for our very own celebration this Friday, 11-11-11!

Buy your tickets today for the Gala and bask in floral art that only Winston Flowers can deliver!

Posted by Shannon Sullivan

Sneak Peak! Chairs made by Szu Chieh Yun and her student-artists!

2011-11-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

Student-artist Athena Ellis poses with her symmetrical chair.

Over the summer, mentor Szu Chieh Yun began working on her 20-chair set for our 20th Anniversary "Have A Seat" Gala. Inspired by symmetry and complimentary colors, these vibrant chairs, graciously donated to us by the American Chair Company, look as lively as the artists who painted them. Szu’s team, which included 11 student-artists, started by using wood primer on the chairs, then mapped out designs and patterns before using acrylics to create exquisite depth and balance.

Along with mentoring AFH student-painters, Szu has also been sharing her art skills to the students of the Oliver H. Perry School. After being appointed as the artist-in-residence at the K-8 school, Szu has been leading art classes for students there since the beginning of the school year.

Check out more of Szu’s inspired work here, and be sure to get your tickets to our 20^th Anniversary Celebration now so you can personally experience our entire brilliant collection of hand-painted chairs before they’re gone!

Party with The Love Dogs!

2011-11-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Who else but the The Love Dogs could help AFH bring down the house at the After-Party following the 20^th Anniversary Gala Have a Seat on 11/11/11? No one, of course.

Its blues, its rock ‘n’ roll, its R&B, it’s a party! This group of seven brings an intense, dance worthy beat with their various saxes and other instruments on top of the soulful vocals of lead singer Eddie “Duato” Scheer. Based out of Boston, the Love Dogs infuse every song with an energy that brings a smile to anyone who hears their music.

But don't take it from us: the New York Post writes, “Even though the music could make Leonardo’s David dance, it’s the songwriting that separates these dogs from the rest of the pack”

Don’t miss your chance to see (and feel!) the Love Dogs music live. All proceeds raised from our 20^th Anniversary Gala will establish the AFH Fund for the Future, enabling us to empower more underserved youth. Buy your tickets to the After-Party today!

Posted by Shannon Sullivan

Have A Seat with Lydia Shire!

2011-11-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Did you hear? Our 20^th Anniversary "Have a Seat" Gala on 11/11/11 will feature celebrity chef Lydia Shire! Lydia is known for her creative genius, which makes her a perfect match for AFH.

Chef Shire was raised by artist parents in Brookline, Mass. After attending London’s Cordon Bleu Cooking School she returned to Massachusetts to continue her cooking career. She has received many accolades so far in her career including “America’s Best Chef – Northeast” in 1992 and “One of America’s Top Five Chefs” in 1996, both awarded by the James Beard Foundation.

Currently Chef Shire is the Culinary Director of Towne Stove and Spirits and the chef at Scampo, which was recognized by Esquire magazine as one of the “Best New Restaurants” in America in 2008. Her dishes are known as “unrestrained” and “inspired.”

Similar to the AFH studios, Chef Shire’s kitchens have taught many of our finest local talent. We are honored to have chef Lydia Shire as a part of our 20^th Anniversary Gala Have a Seat.

Buy your tickets now to enjoy Chef Shires’ unique edible art, while sitting on AFH’s finely crafted chair art and celebrating 20 years of empowering youth!

Posted by Shannon Sullivan

Introducing Eddie McColgan!

2011-11-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Meet Eddie McColgan, one of our amazing student-artists!

Eddie has been working in the painting studio at AFH for the past four years, and this year, his skills earned him the mighty responsibility of taking on 20 chairs to paint for our 11-11-11 Have A Seat Gala! Since the summer session ended, Eddie has been working tirelessly in the painting studio. While he's had guidance from mentors during the process, the project was entirely an independent and impressive endeavor, and really showcases his talents.

Eddie's recently been working with shapes in his sketches, locking them in together, and finding patterns within the form and structure of the shape. Painting mentor Laura Keane noticed his shapely drawings in his notebook one day and pushed him to explore it further. "She said it reminded her of Aboriginal artwork," Eddie recalled, and he became intrigued with the idea of contrasting the spiritual and naturalistic Aboriginal-inspired art with the industrial-looking, metal chairs, generously donated to us by Industry West.

After about a month of work, and many paint-markers later, the ten-chair set was completed.

Eddie's second set of chairs were inspired by the travel, lost children, gutter punks, and the grit of city streets and the accidental artwork that happens everyday by city workers leaving spray-painted notation on the pavement. His focus was on bringing attention to the fact that our culture is fixated on how quickly things can be done, and not thinking about how pleasant the finished product looks.

For the past three weeks, he has been using acrylic paint on wooden chairs to create pale backdrops before layering crunchy shapes and contrasting colors over it.

To see more of Eddie McColgan's original artwork, please join us on 11-11-11 when all the hand-painted chairs will be showcased in all their glory!

Buy tickets NOW before it's too late!

Have A (Designer) Seat!

2011-11-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

It’s the age-old debate: Is it more important where one sits, or what they sit upon?

AFH has explored the question exhaustively, with a series of symposia, focus-groups, and skate-offs- and the conclusion… seat location and seat accommodation are of equal and tremendous importance! So, in inimitable AFH style, our young artists and staff have been about the business of preparing and securing a fantastic set of “seats” for our 20^th Anniversary Have A Seat Gala.

These beautiful, and in many cases, limited edition pieces have been donated by many of Boston’s best showrooms, and internationally known designers. M2L, Ligne Roset, Montage, Jonathan Adler, Kartell, Dakota Jackson, Pierre Paulin, Phillipe Starck, D-Scale by Duffy Designs, Eero Saarinen for Knoll, Emeco, and Webster and Company. Even AFH's sculpture mentor, Jamison Sellers, has also generously donated a beautiful, hand-crafted chair for the auction!

Guests will dine on a collection of hand-painted, re-defined, totally inventive chairs made by an inspired AFH crew of chair-smiths; and as a bonus treat, a veritable “who’s who” of top furniture designers and retailers have generously chipped in to support our Have A (Designer) Seat Auction.

All understand the impact AFH has on developing underserved young people’s abilities to create great design, test their limits, and build a new aesthetic that brings a diverse group of voices to “the table”.

We are hard-pressed to find a better place, or better seat, than that. Start the bidding!

After-Party Contest Winner!

2011-11-01T16:26:00.000-07:00

Congrats, SPACEMAN SPIFF! You're the winner of our 11-11-11 After-Party contest! You've just won two tickets to our outrageous after-party! You and a fellow art lover get to join us for drinks, desserts, and dancing as we celebrate 20 years of empowering and employing Boston teens with jobs in the arts! Wear something stretchy and sparkly...cuz we'll be dancing the night away to the swingin' tunes of The Love Dogs! Please email kgrinovich@afhboston.com to claim your winning tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime celebration!

Thanks to all who commented and expressed themselves! We love art as much as you do!

You can still join us at our super celebration by purchasing tickets here. All ticket sales go towards our Funds for the Future, ensuring that we can employ more teens and provide more artistic opportunities for our City's amazing student-artists.

Keep checking back for more info on parties, contests, videos, and ART! See you at the EpiCenter!

WIN Two Tickets to AFH's CELEBRATE 20 Years! After-Party on November 11th!

2011-10-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

AFH 's 20th Anniversary Gala is just around the corner...and here's your chance to win TWO TICKETS to the Celebrate 20 Years! After-Party on Friday, November 11th at the AFH EpiCenter! You and a friend will be our guests for decadent desserts, drinks and dancing to Boston's swing-iest band, The Love Dogs. The AFTER -PARTY starts at 9:30pm and ends at 1:00am! Creative chic attire!

So how do you score two tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime celebration? It's as simple as expressing yourself! Leave a comment on this blog about how art impacts your life and you are automatically entered to win! Please include your name and email in the comment.

Winners will be announced on our Facebook page on October 31st, so be on the look-out for announcements!

If you want to be sure to be there on 11.11.11...you can purchase tickets to the AFTER-PARTY for $75 per person until Halloween...after the 31st, tickets are $100 per person.*

*All proceeds will help establish the AFH Fund for the Future which will enable AFH to grow to its capacity by employing more teens; engage them in learning entrepreneurship and life skills; provide them with critical academic support to ensure that each and every AFH youth graduates from high school and matriculates to an institution of higher education or vocational training; and most importantly, provide a safe environment in which they can flourish.

Please note, that you MUST be 21 or over to attend this party.

Post your comment now to enter the contest!

AFH fights Sugar ... with Water, Skateboards, and NINJAS!

2011-10-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks to clever marketing, soda companies have convinced our nation that sugary beverages are the thing to drink to quench thirst and generate joy. But, as we all know, sugar-loaded liquids are not the key to happiness--they're actually the sneaky culprits responsible for the rising obesity rates in our country. In order to fight the rise of sugary sodas and change our public's perception of healthy drink choices, AFH has teamed up with the Boston Public Health Commission and Boston skate team Draco Prosapia to spread the benefits of choosing water over sticky beverages. True to form, AFH is taking its own hard-core, guerilla marketing approach that not only involves cool t-shirts, posters, and merch, but skateboarders, bikers, dancers, and ninjas! We're spreading the truth about the dangers of drinking too much sugar and we're having a blast doing it! Check out this teaser video shot during our first skate day, where we took over the city's streets and asked the public to re-think their drinks.

Want more info? Click here for more facts about the most popular (and deadly) beverages and how you can be healthier, stronger, faster, and more ninja-like.

More skate days, adventures, and videos to come.... Stay tuned and hydrated!

The AFH Timeline

2011-10-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

For twenty years, AFH has been employing teens with jobs in the arts. Take a look at our history...Back in 1991, AFH was comprised of Susan Rodgerson and six teens. This year, we will have employed 225 youth and impacted many more!

Please join us on 11-11-11 as we celebrate our 20th anniversary! Not only will you be a part of this incredible history, but all proceeds raised from our Gala event will go to funding future programs at AFH, employing more teens, and making more art for years to come!

For more info on tickets and the party, check out: http://afhboston.com/have_a_seat.php

AFH ARTISTS RE-FASHION VITAMINWATER BOTTLES FOR BOSTON FASHION WEEK

2011-09-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

In a corner of AFH"S 3-D Design studio, Vitaminwater bottles were everywhere! The word must be out that AFH can do almost anything...including turning bottles of water into a dress design.

And so, at the invitation of Boston Magazine and Vitaminwater, AFH was invited to be inspired by the bottles, and labels and to fabricate a design for a prominently positioned window display for The Tent at Boston Fashion Week held from the September 23 - 29. Mentor Hannah Fallon, AFH youth artists Lexi Zotov and Nhi Nguyen and guest artist Laura Fallon created a magical dress design worthy of a red carpet runway.

If you hurry, you can check out AFH's window display in the Newbury Arcade just outside the Mandarin Hotel entrance in the hallway that connects to the Prudential and Saks. For a preview, take a look at these photos taken by the AFH Photography Studio:

AFH and the War on Sugar

2011-08-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, AFH assembled a small army of warriors. We met at daybreak (sort of) at the AFH EpiCenter, mounted our steeds (newly-acquired road bikes, which had been granted to our student-artists earlier in the week…see the blog post below for more info on the awesome “Roll It Forward” program!), and rode to the Boston Public Health Commission headquarters. There, we received our mission: to take away the power of sugar and thwart its dangerous affects on all our bodies!

In an effort to combat heart disease, diabetes, and other life-threatening health issues associated with obesity, the Boston Public Health Commission has created a new campaign that would change our perceptions on the sneakiest obesity proprietor of them all: sugar-sweetened beverages. Referred to as “SSB’s,” these calorie-crammed soft-drinks are being consumed more than ever, and our city’s youth are feeling the affects; 44% of Boston public school students are overweight or obese.

While steps have been taken to reduce the availability of sugary-sodas, such as Mayor Menino’s 2004 ban on soda and junk food offered in vending machines in Boston Public Schools, people are still chugging empty calories at an alarming rate. Our goal, with the help from the Boston Public Health Commission, is to change the way people think about their drinks and opt for healthier thirst-quenchers.

Graphics and Motion Graphics Mentor Mikey Guadarrama, along with student-artists from our Graphic Design department, will be heading up the visual component of our anti-SSBs campaign, making posters, stickers, and magnets. We’ll be taking our new ad campaign to the streets…squashing the saccharine lies about “energy” drinks, sweetened teas, and pop with the help of Draco Prosapia, Mr. Guadarrama’s team of die-hard skaters.

Stay tuned for updates on our progress as we start gathering our troups and taking over the streets, proclaiming the truth about the most popular unhealthy beverages. Our multi-media blitzkrieg is set to include new graphics, photos, videos, and skate-days—all 100% sugar-free! The anti-sugar, anti-sugar-marketing revolution starts now…so grab some H2O and get ready for the new wave of hydration.

AFH Youth Have Front Row Seats As Curtain Rises on The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess at the American Repertory Theater

2011-08-19T05:43:00.000-07:00

For weeks there has been a buzz in the theater world about the A.R.T.'s revival and bold new "re-imagining" of the American classic, Porgy and Bess. How exciting was it that AFH and A.R.T. are working together to introduce our young artists to experience theater as part of their arts experience.. and that 30 AFH youth and staff were invited to the August 17 opening preview? Amazing, really.

The evening started off with an AFH pizza picnic on the grounds of Radcliffe College across the street from the theater, followed by a welcome at the A.R.T by Outreach and Education Associate Brendan Shea and then on to the show, and front row seats!

For some, this was their first live theater experience and for many, the word "opera" (which is how the performance is described) created an uneasiness. So how did it go? Beyond wonderful. Those who were hesitant, expressed surprise at how engaged they were not only by the story, music, and choreography and strong cast lead by Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis ...but by the staging and sets and costumes. Everyone sensed that they were witness to an exciting evening in the theater ....

As a PS, we invited Brendan Shea to our End of Summer Bash at the EpiCenter the next night. He came and in his words...FANTASTIC and BLOWN AWAY by the talent on display. This was a wonderful beginning to a new relationship for AFH.

15 AFH Brockton Teens and Mentors Creatively Transform 100' Cinder Block Wall into a Masterpiece on Montello Street

2011-08-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

The Sky's The Limit!!!

"It's about a kid fighting through obstacles through the city. As he goes through the concrete jungle, he finds others to join him and he realizes he doesn't have to leave Brockton to make a difference in the world. The Sky's the Limit." -Jeff Marseille, Brockton HS graduate, Mass Art Student and AFH Summer Program Mentor

These words come to life in the 8' X 100' mural at 891 Montello Street. The mural project was researched, conceived and created by 11 AFH Brockton teens and four AFH youth mentors under the direction of AFH Painting Studio Mentor and AFH Founder Rob Gibbs. TheBrockton youth were employed by AFH at the Brockton Teen Center as part of the AFH seven -week summer program. Funding was provided by the City of Brockton's Shannon Prevention Partnership and the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office and management from the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board.

On August 16, Brockton Mayor Linda M. Balzotti, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz, Susan McKenna from the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board, State Representative Michael Brady and Advance Auto Parts store manager John Barrella were all at the mural site to meet the artists as they were putting on the final touches on their masterpiece.

" The partnership between the City and Artists For Humanity has been wonderful, said Mayor Linda M. Balzotti. "not only did our young people get to learn valuable skills like planning and teamwork, but they also played an active role in giving back to their community." I am proud to have such a meaningful piece of art in my city."

22 AFH Teens OWN a Bike Thanks to BOSTON BIKES

2011-08-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

It may have been raining outside on August 15, but the smiles were all sunshine on the 22 AFH teens cycling around the Lewis Gallery as they tried out their own bicycles.

Boston is making Boston a biking city and now, thanks to the Mayor's initiative, BOSTON BIKES and "Roll it Forward" which refurbishes donated bikes and makes them available to underserved youth, 22 AFH teens now have a free bike, helmet and lock and are ready to ride. Before getting their bikes, they had to apply for the privilege and take a bike safety session to get up to speed on the rules of the road and do's and don'ts of riding in traffic and on on slick roads. The last step was to be properly fitted.

Gary Chen in the AFH Painting Studio said, " I never had a bike that was fully functional. I plan to paint it! "

"I plan to use my new bike to commute to Bunker Hill College," was on the mind of Y Nhi Nguyen's thoughts as she tried out her bike. She was inspired by the idea that cyclists have the same rights as drivers of automobiles.

BIG End O' Summer Bash at the EpiCenter this Thursday!

2011-08-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

Join us at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter this Thursday, August 18 from 4-8pm for our biggest End O' Summer Bash ever! We invite our entire AFH community—youth, alumni, families, supporters, friends, and YOU—to come celebrate all the hard work of teen artists at AFH this summer! Get ready for a BIG afternoon of music, great food, fantastic people, and a brand new exhibition of AFH youth's artworks!

The EpiCenter will be transformed into a showcase of artistic talent and creative spirit as our youth proudly display their paintings, photography, designs, sculpture, videos, and prints. Select artworks will be available for sale. So if you like what you see, make a purchase and you will be supporting a teen artist and also keeping our programs running!

Joining us in the festivities on Thursday afternoon will be a neighbor South Boston arts organization, Medicine Wheel Productions. MWP's talented teens will perform spoken word poetry! Headed by Founder and Artistic Director Michael Dowling, MWP is an initiative dedicated to the production and promotion of interactive projects, inviting people to use "art as threshold," creating common ground, moving beyond diversity to inclusion, and building community from the inside out. Last Thursday, AFH youth also joined MWP at South Boston High School for a celebration of their summer Youth Art Internship program and 15 years of work at No Man's Land, a run-down vandal-ridden space their youth artists have re-claimed with artworks and collaborative group projects.

Come by the EpiCenter on Thursday and bring all your friends! Our End O' Summer Bash is a great opportunity for AFH families and the Greater Boston Area community to check out our galleries, relax with food, drink, and friends, and see the work that we've done!

Our summer programs at AFH are made possible in large part through the generous support of John Hancock and the MLK Summer Scholars Program.

[Submitted by Angelina Zhou, AFH 2011 Summer Intern]

Artists for Humanity Launches Alumni Association!

2011-08-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

This summer, Artists for Humanity is pioneering a new Alumni Association project that seeks to draw together a network of AFH graduates who are interested in giving back to their community!

Under the leadership of Operations Director Andrew Motta and with the help of AFH summer intern Ani Keshishyan, the Alumni Association serves to reconnect AFH graduates with one another, organize reunion events, and host special after hours events, among various other ideas that are still in the works. AFH alumni will have the opportunity to be part of a talented networking group of young artists. Being on the Alumni Association gives them a chance to showcase their leadership skills and gain professional experience in community organization. Another benefit for alumni includes access to studio space in the AFH EpiCenter. This association aims to create a sense of extended community and to strengthen the bonds between the parent organization— Artists for Humanity, its alumni, and the greater local community.

While Andrew and Ani certainly do have high hopes for this project, they also remain grounded in the realization that programs like these must start out small. After much planning and researching, Andrew and Ani have drawn together a group of dedicated AFH alumni interested in participating in the project. During the first few meetings, Ani and Andrew were able to gauge interest and garner fresh ideas from the alumni. With this information, they now have a better idea of how to proceed in appointing committees, delegating responsibilities, identifying short-term and long-term goals, and so forth.

This coming Tuesday, August 16 at 6pm, the Alumni Association will host their first event— the "Art of Teaching" workshop. The class will be taught by Alumni Association member and current history teacher at the Boston Latin School, Amelie Baker. The lesson will provide AFH youth and alumni an overview of how to think about, plan, and execute a successful class or workshop.

Additionally, the Association members will work together to promote AFH's "End O' Summer Bash" at the EpiCenter on Thursday, August 18. They especially want to ensure a good turnout of AFH alum at this celebration of creativity and hard work!

The next Alumni Association meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 20 at 6pm in the AFH EpiCenter. The first "Open Studio" opportunity, in which members will be able to work in the EpiCenter studios, will be held two days later on Thursday, September 22.

Andrew and Ani hope that by the end of this summer, they will have succeeded in setting up the AFH Alumni Association initiative to thrive independently. Knowing the motivation and dedication of our AFH students, we are confident that our alumni will help AFH keep its vision alive. A big thank you to Andrew and Ani for making this all happen, and to our alumni for continuing to give back to the AFH community!

Interested in becoming a member of the AFH Alumni Association? Please contact Operations Director Andrew Motta at andrewmotta@afhboston.com!

[Submitted by Angelina Zhou, AFH 2011 Summer Intern]

AFH at the ICA, Real Life Remixed: Teen Night

2011-08-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

First impressions are everything! Everyone coming into the ICA last night for Real Life Remixed: Teen Night got hit with some awesome AFH paintings right at the door. Over 30 student paintings were proudly displayed alongside other renowned ICA artwork. The types of paintings ranged from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and 3-dimensional works. The ReVision 2.0 line was also represented; samples of the student’s furniture crafted out of recycled magazines and plastic bags garnered a lot attention. Clearly all of the works were museum quality.

The music was vibrating the floor, and the energy from the crowd was inspiring. And the free ice cream sweetened the whole night! The AFH and the ICA make a great team. Check out past and future Teen Nights held at the ICA.

Tour Boston's Artists Artists For Humanity EpiCenter and see why it is Boston's Greenest Building and more

2011-08-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Artists For Humanity has refined its memorable and fun tours of our Epicenter building for camp and youth groups. Youth walk away from our revamped tours with a better understanding of what it is that Artists for Humanity does and we hope, with some fun and appreciation for art and environmentalism too.

Our 20 year- old organization, Artists for Humanity employs Boston teens in a uniquely intensive program of arts, creativity and enterprise. Our facility, the Artists For Humanity Epicenter which was named one of the "Top Ten Green Buildings in the Country" and houses, perhaps, the largest collection of youth created art in the nation. Artists for Humanity is one of the largest employer of teens in the city of Boston and currently has 130 teen artists working for us this summer. The artists that make up Artists for Humanity design, create, and learn to market their art in a variety of different studios such as Digital Media, Painting, Photography, Screen Printing, Sculpture and Web Design.

Our tours consist of showing youth our various studios, seeing the energy efficient and sustainable elements of the Epicenter that make it so unique and special, and an opportunity to meet some of the staff and youth who make up Artists for Humanity. We would love to expose your young campers to the hard work and talent of the teen artists at Artists for Humanity. See the real products and services they create for the Boston business community, and understand their view of Boston and their world through their art. The guided tours of our EpiCenter last 90 minutes and also include an interactive art project directed by a staff member at AFH. This concluding art project was a highlight of our tours this summer with the youth that involved using clay, creativity and lots of curiosity!

The Artists For Humanity EpiCenter is a five- minute walk from the Broadway stop on the Red Line. Please contact us at 617.268.7620 or info@AFHBoston.com if you are interested in booking a tour of Artists for Humanity for during the school year. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Tara Pine

After Hours Workshops @ AFH!

2011-08-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Spray-painting, drumming, ping-pong, these are all activities that are open to the teens at Artists for Humanity after hours on Wednesday nights from 5:30 to 8:30. No wonder the kids love sticking around! Teens get to do what they love: create art while getting paid at a safe haven in the Artists for Humanity’s Epicenter. The after hours at AFH is set up so that the teens can engage in safe and fun activities after their working time is up. So far, the workshops have included break dancing, a drumming instruction using recycled items and most recently, a beading workshop as well as a live bird demonstration, lead by an AFH alum. This summer there will also be an open poetry night, an actor’s workshop and possibly Zumba classes as well. Free food is also supplied to the teens that attend the workshops. Lesley Horrall, education director and Courtney Wheeler, development associate at AFH are both in charge of organizing the after hours workshops this summer that started July 6th and continue on until August 17th.

The drumming workshop on July 20th was a big hit! It was lead by Berklee college of music students, Kramer and Sharon. They had a great turnout, with 35 teens in attendance. The Berklee musicians use recycled items to create loud and rhythmic music, which connects with AFH’s efforts for sustainable and energy efficient living. Some of the kids who attended are interested in music themselves, other’s just came for fun. The Berklee students are part of the band Trash Talk which was recently formed but has achieved success at AFH, by playing at its Greatest Party on Earth, annual event on May 21st. The teens at AFH loved banging on the drums and letting out their creative energies on the recycled buckets and water tins. After the workshop, the teens stayed around to play ping- pong and actually had an impromptu salsa-dancing lesson taught by AFH alumni, Shisha King.

It has been a trend that each Wednesday, more teens than the week before attend the after hours and this past Wednesday was no exception! Fifty- five teens attended the after hours and participated in a paper-bead making lesson as well as an owl and hawk demonstration. Although there may not seem to be an obvious connection, between beads and birds, both activities have to do with a bigger picture and connect to larger communities. The paper beads workshop reflect the designs of a group of jewelers in Kampala, Uganda, and the two owls and hawk come from an animal conservation center, Audubon which protects the wildlife in Massachusetts. The teens loved hearing the owls hoot and screech in their cages and loved seeing their majestic beauty while being held by AFH alum, Dan Burton.

The teens at AFH certainly know how to add their own fun and flair to any activity at AFH whether it be at after hours workshops, creating artwork in the studios or just hanging around the EpiCenter building. Get excited about our open-mic night, tomorrow night August 3rd!

Tara Pine

AFH Youth Gaining Valuable Financial Advice from Investment Experts!

2011-08-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

John McLaren, respected investment banker and a member of Artists For Humanity’s Board of Advisors, is teaching lessons in financial literacy to AFH’s paid summer apprentices.

Over the past couple of weeks, John has held meet-and-greet sessions at the Epicenter with AFH's youth artists. He has reached out to the Sovereign Bank, TD Banknorth, and the Bank of America, inviting representatives to speak with the students about their bank services. Many teens have already taken advantage of this opportunity and opened up their first checking accounts. Throughout the summer and continuing into the fall, John will be coming into the EpiCenter every other week or so to talk about the banking process and to answer questions about establishing savings. John’s idea is to bring someone in from the outside— someone who is not around AFH youth every day— to serve as an "expert" on the banking system and processes.

At this stage, John is simply planting seeds of interest in banking and money management. John will continue to raise questions to get the young artists engaged: What is a paycheck? How do you manage a budget? What will you do with your cash? How does it all work? The hope is that this exposure to the banking world will arm AFH teens with the financial literacy and support systems to better prepare them for the professional working world.

John started out in banking, transitioned into the insurance industry, and eventually became interested in alternative investment in areas other than stocks, bonds, and real estate. John was introduced to Executive/Artistic Director Susan Rodgerson and the youth programs at AFH this past spring, joined the Board of Advisors and so began this whirlwind partnership of art and economics.

Coming from the perspective of a professional employer and investor, John loved AFH's concept of putting high school students to work in the studios. Not only are AFH youth granted the rights and privileges of professional artists, but they are also held accountable for the responsibilities of working in the real world. Students learn important lessons in timeliness, work ethic, negotiation, and team collaboration in the work environment. In return, the teens are respected as independent and mature young adults in the work force— and they are given weekly paychecks to prove it! An AFH youth artist can potentially earn $1400 in wages this summer, plus commissions on the sales of their individual artworks.

For many of the youth, these are among some of the first paychecks the teens will ever receive. This is certainly very exciting, but could also be a daunting task for those who are financially inexperienced. AFH teens will have to decide what to do with these checks— to save or to spend? John hopes to advise the young artists and guide them toward making financially sound and economically pragmatic choices.

Thank you, John, for sharing your expertise with all of us at AFH!

[Submitted by Angelina Zhou, AFH Summer Intern]

Artists For Humanity Video Studio Creates "Ice Blue Dragon" to Slay High School Bullying

2011-07-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Who needs comic-book superheroes when you've got the Artists for Humanity team on your side? Reflecting upon the highly publicized cases of suicides by teens who had suffered from harassment in 2010— particularly those of Phoebe Prince and Tyler Clementi— the young artists in Artists for Humanity's video program created the short film "Ice Blue Dragon."

Supported by the Adobe Youth Voices Program, which promotes the use of creative technology to engage and empower youth, the AFH video team sought to address the issue of bullying in schools from a more personal perspective. The artists realized that sometimes there may not be simple, clear-cut solutions to bullying. So, instead they opted for a storyline that was relatable, down-to-earth, and laden with the multi- faceted complications that color our everyday realities. The short film draws inspiration from director Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, based on the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series. "Ice Blue Dragon" aims to empower teens so that they may fight their own real-life super-villains. The take-away message, as presented by the Ice Blue Dragon (an impressive result of hard work in Adobe After Effects) who emerges from a deck of playing cards: "If you feel you've been bullied, there are a number of things you can do... Keep confrontation to a minimum, stand your ground, alert the authorities, have a friend walk with you to class or home, but most of all... you must remember to stay cool, like me."

Completed in June 2011, "Ice Blue Dragon" features the original script of AFH's very own budding screenwriter Alice Tran, who will be attending Emerson College this coming fall. Co-directed by Tran and Kim Soun Ty, the short film showcases the acting talents of Reginald Pinckney, Curtiss Carter, Elizabeth (Izzy) Bianchi, Candy Weah, Athena Ellis, Patricia Pimentel, Gabrielius Laucys, and Monroe Remy. Amy Zahlaway and Connor Higgins made audio and sound contributions, and AFH mentor Jason Talbot oversaw the entire creative process.

After "Ice Blue Dragon," the AFH video team collaborated with the Boston Public Health Commission on a second short film titled "The Power of Words Can Kill" that continued to focus on additional issues surrounding bullying. Next, the team is embarking on yet another short film project inspired by the thriller Super 8, which they screened in theaters as a group this summer.

All of us at Artists for Humanity cannot wait to see what the video team comes up with next!

[Submitted by Angelina Zhou, AFH Summer Intern]

Artists For Humanity Introduces Yoga for Youth, Mentors, and You!

2011-07-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

With 5000 square feet of space in the AFH EpiCenter's Lewis Gallery, we can hold a lot--a lot of student-artists, mentors, administrators, computers, easels, desks, tools, stools, and paintings! Now that the Summer Session is in full-swing, we're filling the EpiCenter with a ton of new student-artists, projects, energy, and life!

But what happens when the easels are put away, the computers are shut down, and the tripods are stored? At AFH, we want to use this space for as much creativity as possible, so after work is done, and the stress from the day begins to set in, what's the best way to deal with it? Why not yoga?

This summer, we've decided utilize the EpiCenter's Lewis Gallery after-hours with yoga classes! It's common knowledge that yoga can help relieve stress, sweat out toxins, and focus your energy, but it's also a great tool for expression. Learning how to move your body safely and creatively is a great skill to have, and we want to provide that to student-artists, staff, and you!

Starting July 18th, we will be hosting yoga every Monday night from 6-7pm on the first floor of the EpiCenter. It is open to the public, and safe for all ages and levels! Taught by AFH's very own Kristina Grinovich, who often does handstands in the gallery when no one is watching, this hour long, music-filled vinyasa-style yoga will give you a chance to stretch out the work-day soreness. Since becoming RYT certified last spring, Kristina has been teaching in the Boston area and is excited to share her love of yoga with AFH and the Boston community this year.

So come move and sweat with us every Monday night at 6:00 for an hour of empowering yoga set in our art-filled, eco-friendly space.

Yoga is FREE for AFH staff and student-artists, and is open to the public for only $5. No yoga mat? No problem! Thanks to our friends at South Boston Yoga, who turned us onto Doreen Hing, designer and founder of Plank Designs, we now have extra mats in-house! We are so grateful for cool, local designers like Doreen who donated these funky mats to us!

A towel and water are also suggested.

As with all events held at the EpiCenter, 100% of the proceeds benefit Artists For Humanity.

For more info or questions, call Kristina at 617-268-7620.

AFH’s ReVision Furniture Heads to NYC for “ THE REAWAKENING”

2011-07-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

The AFH’s ReVision furniture line, born out of recycled materials, will be featured in THE REAWAKENING//Series One: Extremes on July 12, 7:30-9:30 at Gallery MC in NYC. THE REAWAKENING, created in part by curator Javana Mundy as an “…explosion of fresh unfiltered visual art of various mediums.” Mundy invited AFH to be a part of THE REAWAKENING after seeing our work at our Dodge Gallery event in NYC in June.

ReVision is produced by the AFH’s 3-D studio and includes colorful table tops, stool tops, and wall tiles created out of recycled magazines and plastic bags. Check out the photos of the ReVision line from the Architectural Digest Home Show in NYC back in March.

Mundy has joined with fellow curators Samantha Smikle and Krystalrae Mamaril in collecting a diverse selection of art for the first of a three-part gallery series dubbed THE REAWAKENING. The artwork ranges from fashion to music. Check out the other artists. Stop in to say hello, we will be there to greet you personally and tell you all about our ReVision!

What: Artists for Humanity ReVision furniture at THE REAWAKENING//Series One: Extremes

When: July 12, 2011 7:30-9:30pm

Where: Gallery MC, New York City

549 West 52nd Street, 8th Floor, NYC, NY 10019

212.581.1966

http://www.gallerymc.org

Follow THE REWAKENING on FaceBook

RSVP

Shedding Light on the Photography Studio at Artists for Humanity

2011-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Photography studio at Artists for Humanity is unique in that it also serves a function of preparing college portfolios for AFH teen artists. When an artist in the painting studio or the sculpture studio comes into the photography studio and asks for a print out of their portfolio on glossy paper, the photography teens waste no time getting the job done. This process of creating a portfolio to send to colleges would take a typical high school student a few days and would probably cost a few hundred dollars to get it professionally done. However, at AFH the teens light and shoot the artwork free of charge, and produce impressive results.

At the AFH photography studio, youth update the artists’ artwork database twice every month. Kim Huynh, working in photography for over two years, says that it “takes about 5 or 6 people for the whole process.” She tells me they are in charge of, “measuring the size of the paintings, positioning the lighting, shooting the photographs of the paintings, and importantly, updating the images onto the computer.” Each painting is organized by the artists name, the size and a brief description of the artwork. The photography students make sure to highlight the artwork in the best light, both literally and figuratively. They shoot the artwork several times and under three different exposure, from dark to light. Kim tells me that each teen has his and her own folder that can be easily found by searching the size of the artwork the student is looking for, or a brief keyword description of the artwork. The whole process takes the photo students about two days and ends in an extensive database of an estimate of thousands of art pieces!

Some of the most talented and unique artists at Artists for Humanity have their selected pieces publicised on the AFH website for thousands of people to view. This is made possible by the photography teens shooting their work under professional lighting, creating the best possible quality and updating the artwork online. Just like that, poof! their work can be easily accessed online therefore increasing the chances that others will look at their art, admire it and offer them creative ventures. Now that’s a moment captured perfectly!

Tara Pine

Artist Spotlight: AFH Photography grad back to lend a hand in screen printing

2011-06-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

Chris Rogers is 20 years old and from Boston, Massachusetts. He started out in the photography studio when he was a high school sophomore and has since graduated from high school, received an associates degree from Bunker Hill and is back at AFH as an unofficial mentor to the other students in the screen- printing studio. He plans on going back to college next year to pursue his bachelor's degree. After talking to him, I see him as a Jack-of-all trades type, with many different pursuits and skills in the arts realm. He is putting into practice the skills he learned while at Artists for Humanity and continues to build on the strong relationships he established here.

How was it coming back to AFH being a high school graduate?
It is really comforting. Although most people from my generation are no longer here, I like everyone here and am pretty much friends with everyone. There’s an amazing community here and I am constantly getting a lot of help and guidance from my mentors who helped me when I was still in high school as well as now, being out of high school. They needed help in the screen- printing studio so I offered to help. There is always something to do here. There is no room for standing around, you can always be busy doing something.

How successful do you think the screen-printing studio is right now, even in the economic recession we are in?
We’re still really busy! It doesn’t really seem to be affecting us poorly. As everyone keeps telling me, it is T-shirt season so we have still been pretty successful. We also print hats, sneakers, hoodies and even underwear.

Do you think there is an artistic element to screen printing?
Yeah definitely! To do screen printing you have to be intuitive and it totally requires an artistic feel. Anyone here can come up with a design, then we send it to the graphic design studio, print it out and then start screen printing it on T-shirts. We print logo’s for Cheers, Summer Shack and we also do some of our own original designs. We have this one T-shirt design that has been really popular which is of Hayden and Keith’s cat (both of whom work at AFH) with this cool white swirl around it.

How do you think AFH has prepared you for your future?
Before coming to AFH, I only took a few broad art classes and learned a little about graphic design. Coming to AFH pushed me in the direction I wanted to be in. Here, there are so many different forms of art media: painting, sculpture, web design, screen printing and I wouldn’t have known about all of these things without being at AFH. It is hard to focus on one thing for what I want to do in the future. That is why I like working here. There is no room for standing around, you can always be busy doing something here.

Can you see yourself taking the skills you learned here and applying them to whatever you do later in life?
I have learned so much at AFH. A lot of the projects I am working on now I learned here at Artists for Humanity. Me and a few others who also work at AFH started a skateboarding team of about 40 kids, some of whom are my friends from beforehand, and others who saw us skateboarding and asked us to join. We created a website (sandyrivercustoms.com) around our skateboarding team with photographs and videos of the skateboarders so that some of them can get sponsors. We have some amazing skateboarders in our group so we have been working on taking video’s of them and posting them on social media websites like Twitter, facebook, Youtube to get the word out about them. We are also working on designing T-shirts for our team. There is nothing that is like this for skating in the city, so it would be really cool to turn this into our own business. I have also done some song and music producing the last few years.

Wow cool! It seems like you are really applying the entrepreneurial and marketing skills you learned at AFH to start up new projects and businesses on your own.

Tara Pine

AFH Photo Studio Features Crayons in Stop Motion Animation

2011-06-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

"Action"...has been the word coming from behind the doors in the Artists For Humanity Photography Studio for the past few months. Though best known for still photography, a partnership with the Adobe Youth Voices Project challenged the studio's twelve plus teens and mentors to produce a stop motion animation video with a message about a social issue they face in their community. The result is a five minute piece entitled, Who Do You Think You Are? The Story of Greg Gray. The theme is "stereotyping" and the message as described by seventeen year old Lena Yee is, "Be yourself. Don't try to be someone you are not. And don't let others get to you."

In February, when the teens began the project, Yee says, " I took the lead to get it started because I had a vision. It is my third experience with Adobe, so I felt ready to be the director and help others. Once we had the theme of stereotyping, the hardest part was writing the story because there were so many options. We came up with the idea to use crayons, not people because choosing the people would be stereotyping!"

Following is a brief Q and A with Yee.

Q: Why Greg Gray?

A: Gray is dull.

Q: His parents?

A: Black and white, which when mixed become gray.

Q: The rest of the cast?

A: "Colorful."

Yee outlined the Adobe Project'

Publish Post

s challenges:

One: " Getting the crayons to stand up! Finally used thumbtacks under the sets."

Two: The voices. "Solved with help from the AFH Video Studio."

Three: Designing the sets. "Came up with 6 sets and divided into teams to build them."

Four: Editing. "learned that there are 12 frames per second for each scene. Lesley Rule from Adobe was a big help all along the way."

Yee is in her second year at AFH and a Junior at Media Communications and Technology High School in West Roxbury. She considers art as a hobby, not a profession. She aspires to a role in criminal justice and wants to study business management. She attributes Summer Search to her interest in "helping young kids be more open and become leaders."

On June 2, AFH presented Who Do You Think You Are? The Story of Greg Gray at Adobe Youth Voices Live at the ICA/Boston.

Take a look and share the pride.

Greatest Party preparations

2011-05-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

With two days to go, the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter is all about the Greatest Party on Earth. Our teens are putting the final touches on their From Above paintings. As soon as the paint dries, they will be hung for all to see.

Sculpture has created an awning made out of six-pack holders and discarded plastic bottles. Artists For Humanity has been storing trash bags of collected bottles for months, and are looking forward to putting our trash out.

Photography and video are doing their walk-throughs to capture all of the magic that happens at the Greatest Party. This year, we have a photo booth, so be sure to visit the third floor to have your picture taken in your finery.

Graphics is printing out all of the signage to recognize John Hancock and all of our fantastic event sponsors. Youth are creating buttons, t-shirts, name tags, and signage. Lots and lots of activity and hard work at the EpiCenter.

Scroll down to see some of the behind of the scenes activity. We still have some tickets available at the door, so come on down to the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter on Saturday for what is truly shaping up to be the Greatest Party on Earth!

Gary Chen working on his first large scale painting for the Greatest Party. Gary just started with us earlier this year and has been an absolute super-star. Meet him and see his art this Saturday.

Junia Ryan putting the final touches on her canvas.

Our studios have been a-buzz all month as our kids are stretching their creativity on canvas for the From Above series, all for sale at the Greatest Party on Earth.

Lexi Zotov turns trash into art.

Reggie Pinckney, AFH teen videographer back in our painting studio working on his take on From Above.

AFH Expands Its Commitment to Education; 23 AFH Seniors Graduate from High School this June

2011-05-08T13:21:00.001-07:00

AFH has expanded its support for its youth artists with a full time Education Director, Lesley Horrall now on board. As AFH's first full-time staff person dedicated to education, Lesley is actively expanding and strengthening AFH's role in helping youth artists negotiate the process of completing high school, applying to college, and seeking scholarships. Lesley joins two part-time education coordinators at AFH, Mollie Ross and Sneha Shrestha, who have been providing important help to this year's high school seniors.

AFH's education program requires that all youth artists with a GPA below a 2.0 attend tutoring twice a week. The goal is for every AFH youth artist graduating from high school to be ready to pursue college studies. Through one-on-one meetings and coaching sessions, AFH helps the youth artists define their goals and fill out college and scholarship applications. AFH also brings in representatives from college prep programs such as ACCESS, who give informative workshops about the college process.

Twenty-three seniors will graduate from both High School and AFH this Spring. Most will be going on to college and most will qualify for scholarships. So, where are they going? We checked in with a few graduating seniors.

Natalie Myrthil, who works in the painting studio, has always loved art but her high school in Roslindale cut the art program because of lack of funding. She started at AFH in her junior year and says she enjoys creating paintings that "go against stereotypes." She says, "I usually do portraits but I like to use unexpected colors for skin tones and hair." Natalie will be attending Holy Cross next Fall and she was thrilled to received a Gates Millenium "Last Dollar" Scholarship! Started in 1999 by Bill and Melinda Gates, the Gates Millenium Scholarships are intended for academically talented minority students from low-income households. These last dollar grants fund the difference that is leftover for college expenses after all other financial aid is considered. Natalie learned about the Gates Scholarship opportunity last fall through Mollie at AFH. Mollie and others at AFH helped her with the scholarship application. She is undecided as to what her major will be, but is interested in Criminology. She also loves dance, performing arts and fashion design.

Natalie Myrthil will attend Holy Cross in September

Takii Samuels has been an AFH youth artist since his high school freshman year. He says "I like to paint realistic subjects in a loose style." Examples of his style can be seen in the two small portraits of his twin brother and his brother's girlfriend. Takii recently transferred from the Boston Arts Academy to Arlington High School, where he is a Metco student. Next year, Takii plans to attend Bunker Hill or Middlesex Community College with an ultimate goal to attend MassArt. He says, "I have to take some baby steps before I get to the real thing." Takii says he appreciates the help he has received from AFH staff in filling out college application and scholarship forms. He loves helping his AFH peers with troublesome painting problems. "The best thing about AFH is that it has given me the opportunity to teach others", he says. After college, he wants to find a job in Arts Education.

Takii Samuels and his portrait of his brother.
Takii plans to attend community college next year.

Alicia Jenkins has been an AFH youth artist for the past two years. She says, "I am going to miss AFH next year!" She will be attending Rhode Island College and intends to study social work, possibly minoring in art. While in college, she would like to help out in an after-school arts program - either as a job or as a volunteer. "AFH really helped me through the college process. They had people come from ACCESS and I learned a lot about financial aid. The AFH staff also helped me with housing and clarifying and understanding the letters I received."

Alicia Jenkins will attend Rhode Island College in the Fall

Keds Ambassadors for How Do You Do? Tour AFH

2011-05-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, March 7, when the giant Keds mobile shoebox rolls onto the Boylston Plaza@ The Shops at Prudential Center college students from Boston University and Mass Art will be Keds Ambassadors creating, collaborating and contributing to Artists For Humanity. AFH was selected by Keds for what we do to mentor and inspire Boston's underserved youth to become self sufficient through paid employment in the arts. As part of the "How do you Do Charity?" all event attendees and those interested in participating will be asked to tweet what inspires them (you) about Boston on #KedsHDYD. Keds will donate $1 per tweet ( up to $5,000) to Artists For Humanity.

Keds Ambassadors BU sophomore Hillary Rappaport and BU senior Catalina Dussan and Nicole Jimenez and Liz Mollica from Mass Art toured the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter to better understand AFH's mission and talked to AFH youth artists and were impressed!

As a major in public relations, Catalina signedon with Keds to help with the May 7th event and source the entertainment. She loves Keds! And loves that AFH "allows teens from all backgrounds to flourish as they explore a variety of mediums." Hillary, plans to major in business and entrepreneurship. Her family always wears Keds, so it was a good fit. She sees Keds and AFH , "as a perfect partnership." AFH is always seeking to answer "what inspires you?"

Nicole and Liz, walking around our studios in their funky Keds, filled us in on the buzz on the MassArt campus. Keds is a sneaker of choice for their artistic classmates, and MassArt students are very excited to be able to tweet their support of Artists For Humanity.

It's going to be a fun afternoon at the Prudential tomorrow. Thanks to our ambassadors for building the excitement and introducing Bostonians and visitors to the work we do here at Artists For Humanity

Participate in Keds Boston How Do You Do? tweet campaign that benefit Artists For Humanity

2011-04-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

Artists for Humanity will be on site at he Keds' ‘How Do You Do’ tour on Saturday, May 7th at the Boylston Plaza @ The Shops at Prudential Center from 12 to 5.

Here's how you can partticipate in the “How Do You Do?” campaign:

• “HOW DO YOU DO BOSTON?” Each tour stop in Keds 9 city tour brings a giant Keds mobile shoebox and and a focus on how each community creates, collaborates and contributes. Saturday, May 7 is Keds day in Boston from noon to 5 PM at the Boylston Plaza @ The Shops at Prudential Center at 800 Boylston Street. Limited edition Boston inspired Keds will be on display. This "Road Trip" collection will be available exclusively at keds.com throughout 2011, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Artists for Humanity.

• HOW DO YOU DO KEDS? Attend on May 7 and have the opportunity to express what inspires you about Boston on a pair of Keds on Keds Design Your Own Kiosk touch screen. The kiosks will also let you know about the nationwide Keds How Do You Do Your City? Shoe design contest, running March 1 – May 31, 2011. The winner will receive $1,000 as well as a $5,000 donation to a local arts-based charity of their choice. (we hope it will be AFH!)

• HOW DO YOU DO STYLE? Come May 7 to see Mass Art and BU student models strut their stuff along the Keds blue carpet, with looks showcasing their personal styles.

• HOW DO YOU DO CHARITY? Everyone who visits the Keds How Do You Do on May 7 tour stop at the Prudential will be asked to tweet what inspires them about Boston, with the hash tag #KedsHDYD. Keds will donate $1 per tweet received (up to $5,000) to Artists for Humanity! (YEA, that's us! )

• HOW DO YOU DO ART? BU Student Artists Katharina Funder and Nina Perez will be creating murals live on large eight-foot square canvases influenced by the tweets already posted by Boston.

• HOW DO YOU DO MUSIC? Local Boston performance groups and bands are set to perform at the May 7th event to add to the experience and celebrate the local flavor of Boston.

AFH is thrilled to be the beneficiary for Keds HOW DO YOU DO! campaign

See you on May 7th?

John Hancock Employees Run for AFH in 115th Boston Marathon

2011-04-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

When the runners in the 115th annual Boston Marathon lace up for their 26.2 mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston on April 18, among them will be an athletic group of John Hancock employees pounding the pavement on behalf of Artists For Humanity!

John Hancock, the principal sponsor of the marathon since 1986, chose AFH as one of its 2011 Boston Marathon John Hancock Non-Profit partners. And this is great news! The twenty John Hancock runners must each raise a minimum of $1,500 to benefit AFH programs. Nice!

One first- time marathoner and John Hancock employee, Inga Stenta, age 36, says she is excited and proud to be on the AFH "team." She selected AFH because her brother is a New York City artist and sculptor. She likes the idea of supporting artists and says "he would have appreciated having an organization like AFH when he was a teen."

To get motivated , the John Hancock runners for AFH visited the EpiCenter, took a tour, and learned about the mission. "This really helped us make the case for asking for financial support." says Stenta. "When I mentioned to an old college friend, who I haven't seen in over a decade, that I was running for AFH, he was thrilled. He said "I love AFH!" Turns out he commissions AFH to create T-shirts for a fundraiser that he runs each year. Small world!" Stenta has so far raised over $3,000 for AFH.

Jalon Fowler, another Hancock employee and first-time marathoner, says training has been a "wonderful journey." She chose to join the AFH team after hearing wonderful things about the organization from her husband, who is familiar with AFH through his job with the Boston Public Schools. She recently did a twenty mile training run and says, "I'm ready!"

Jalon Fowler on a training run

John Hancock non-profit runners raise money and raise hope; every step is a commitment to the people they help and the promise they have made. 2011 marks the first year AFH has been selected as one of John Hancock's marathon partner organizations, which are broadly categorized by their cause under civic, disabilities, education, health and wellness, homelessness and youth. AFH is very grateful to be one of the beneficiaries of John Hancock's extraordinary support.

Meanwhile, both Inga and Jalon have been working with a coach through the John Hancock employee training program, and keeping track of their training runs in the training manual. Inga's two young daughters, and Jalon's three children will be cheering their Moms on -- as will all of us at AFH.

WBZ TV 4 recently taped an interview with AFH Founder and Mentor Jason Talbot in the AFH painting studio. It will run on TV-38 on Wednesday April 13 at 9:30pm and again on Sunday April 17th at 11am on WBZ TV-4. On behalf of AFH teens and staff, Jason expressed the appreciation for all John Hancock does for AFH and the Boston community.

**In addition to supporting AFH with a marathon team, John Hancock is presenting sponsor of AFH's Greatest Party on Earth coming up on Saturday, May 21st. Check it out and buy a ticket at www.afhboston.com.

AFH Founder Jason Talbot: The positive power of public television

2011-04-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

AFH Founder and Mentor Jason Talbot is a member of the WGBH Community Advisory Board. His personal story as a kid growing up on the unsafe streets of Dorchester is now airing on WGBH-TV. Take a look and be inspired.

AFH Wins Award at NYC Architectural Digest Home Show; Unveils ReVision 2.0 Furniture Line

2011-03-25T05:06:00.000-07:00

AFH Booth at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show in NYC, March 17 - 20, 2011

"The possibilities are endless!" says Jamison Sellers, AFH's 3-D Studio Project Coordinator, "We're just beginning to explore what we can do with this material." Jamison is animated when talking about AFH's new ReVision bar stool tops made entirely from recycled plastic bags. Only recently designed and developed at AFH, the new "earth friendly" product, along with the new and improved ReVision furniture and wall tiles made from recycled magazine strips, debuted at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show in NYC.

The AFH booth was a show stopper. According to Jamison, "The AFH booth was so crowded, we never had a break." To add to the excitement of the busy weekend, AFH received the ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Social Responsibility Award in a show with over 300 brands of furnishings, fixtures, fabrics, and appliances that drew thousands of visitors including design professionals and consumers.

"We showed visitors the three stages involved in turning plastic bags into a stool top. We had an acrylic box filled with 200 colorful plastic bags. Sitting on top of that was the oven ready plastic bag press we developed. Above the press, mounted on the wall, was a sample bar stool top with a bulls eye pattern. The display was a hit. People were drawn in and they'd ask "What IS this? What is AFH?" "We had lots of opportunities to tell visitors about AFH, our mission and our products", says Jamison, who helped staff the booth along with Marketing Director Rich Frank, Mentors Nick Farnham and Mary Nguyen and youth artists, Nhi Nguyen and Cameron Akeredolu. "We made sales, took orders and learned that there is great interest in our ability to customize our designs."

Cameron and Jamison show pride in the innovative process for the all -plastic stool top

Nick and Cameron answering questions

Plastic bag stool top, 13" diameter, made from 200 plastic bags

The story behind the plastic bag stool tops: The creation of the new all plastic stool tops grew out of Jamison's college thesis project. He explored the process of melting plastic bags into "plastic lumber" when he was a senior at the Rhode Island School of Design two years ago. At AFH, he and the youth artists in the AFH 3D studio designed a 13" round hand- cranked round plastic bag press that is used in AFH's oven. They found that filling the press with about 200 plastic shopping bags or an equivalent volume of dry-cleaning and newspaper bags, along with the right combination of heat and pressure yields a 1 and 3/8" thick stool top. Experimenting in the past few months, AFH youth artists discovered that high density polyethylene bags (#2) didn't perform as well as low density polyethylene #4 bags, and that sequentially placing flat bags into the mold achieved the best consistency. "The first layer of stool top is created by arranging and fusing colored bags in a pattern with an iron and placing it in the bottom of the press " says Jamison. This technique makes it easy to create branding and/or patterns on the surface.

The next step will be to make a mold for plastic top side tables, and then larger tables, then benches and then....well, as Jamison said, the possibilities are endless. First, AFH will need to figure out how and where to get an oven large enough to accommodate these plans. Jamison is already looking into this, "And, also, we want to design, build and distribute collection bins for plastic bags to get the local community involved."

Gyre style (plastic bag stool top), 13" diameter.

Gyre style (plastic bag stool top), 13" diameter set on 30'' h all steel base $550.

Why is the stool top named the "Gyre"? The Pacific Trash Gyre is the name given to the floating vortex of plastic trash in the Pacific Ocean said to be the size of Texas. Plastic trash never biodegrades; instead it breaks down into ever smaller particles which collect and eventually work their way into the food chain. Reusing plastic bags to create furniture is one way to keep plastic out of the ocean and to reduce waste -- and as Jamison points out, the bar stools with plastic tops an steel legs are fully recyclable. "You can melt down the steel base and the plastic top and reuse the materials again."

ReVision 2.0 tables, stools and tiles were also in demand at the Architectural Digest Home Show. Each piece is designed and built by youth at the AFH 3-D studio. Recycled magazines become colorful table tops, stool tops, and wall tiles, when sealed in durable and VOC-free resin. Table and stool legs are made of steel. AFH youth designers turn paper into geometric strips and place them strategically into molds. Each piece is distinctive in color, pattern and look.

ReVision 2.0 table top, pixel pattern, made from folded magazine
strips set in VOC-free resin, 16" x 16"

ReVision 2.0 Graphic pattern 24" x 24" square wall tile $450

ReVision 2.0 Origami pattern Side Table 16" w and 24" h $550

Jamison in the AFH 3-D studio

To see the whole ReVision line and place your order,

go to http://afhboston.com/products/rev.html

6th Annual GREATEST PARTY ON EARTH May 21, 2011 at 8pm

2011-03-01T15:28:00.000-08:00

Join the youth artists, mentors and generous sponsors

of Artists For Humanity

celebrating 20 years

as an award-winning youth arts apprenticeship program at

The 6th Annual Greatest Party On Earth

May 21, 2011

8pm - 1am

Artists for Humanity EpiCenter

100 West Second Street, Boston

Near Broadway T

Valet Parking Available

This year's theme is "Trash"

and the teen artists are hard at work

creating unique art and decor for the event.

Enjoy:

*A multi-media exhibit of sustainable designs including paintings, photographs, innovative, eco furniture, wall graphics, wearable art… all by AFH youth artists.

*High-energy, non-stop interactive entertainment optimizing the EpiCenter’s 5,000 square foot Lewis Gallery in the award-winning “green” EpiCenter, still the only building in Boston to receive the US Green Council’s highest rating, LEED Platinum.

*Culinary treats donated by Boston’s top caterers and chefs, and a selection of specialty beverages.

The Greatest Party on Earth honors the importance of preserving planet Earth and sustaining our environment--and supports Artists For Humanity's mission to bridge economic, racial and social divisions by providing Boston youth with keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in the arts.

Tickets:

$125 per ticket before April 22

$150 after April 22

Or: $250 Sponsor ticket with special perks!

Tickets may be purchased online at

www.afhboston.com

or by calling AFH at

617-268-7620

AFH Unveils Updated ReVision Furniture at NY Home Design Show in March

2011-02-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

This one-of-a-kind "Bean" Table made from recycled paper and resin will be available at the Architectural Design Home Show in NYC in March.

AFH youth artists and mentors in the Sculpture & Industrial Design studio are hard at work preparing new and improved ReVision furniture prototypes for the Architectural Digest Home Design Show that will take place at Pier 94 in NYC March 17-20, 2011.

AFH debuted at last year’s Architectural Digest Show with a booth that attracted a lot of buzz and orders from interior designers, buyers from furniture boutiques and museum shops. Though tables and stools from the AFH original ReVision furniture line were well received, there was also quality feedback and product suggestions from design professionals. Based on this information, the studio has designed new and improved tubular steel bases for the original line of stools and tables, making them stronger, sturdier and more streamlined. New 16” square end tables have been developed as well as several other exciting new products.

Photos of the newly designed end table and stool, as well as an example of a table and stool top made from recycled magazines and resin.

On a recent afternoon in the Sculpture & Industrial Design studio…

…teen artist Victor Torres was busy assembling recycled contents for a new product – 8” x 8” x 8” x 5/8” deep equilateral triangular “tiles” that will be made with resin and recycled paper. The tiles will be usable in kitchens or bathrooms as back splashes or accent tiles; they can be installed with tile adhesive and grout like regular ceramic tile. Several sets of designs will be available or clients can mix and match. Square tiles are also in the works.

Victor Torres making recycled triangular resin tiles.

…Mentor Nick Farnham was working with a 13” round steel press mold that he recently helped design and fabricate. Still in the early stages, the studio plans to produce stool and tabletops made from recycled plastic bags that are pressed and melted in this large oven mold at 330 degrees for 90 minutes. The first attempt yielded an attractive result – a solid 1 1/4” thick stool top that looks a little like melted marble ice cream – but there were difficulties getting the prototype out of the mold (it had to be cut apart). Nick is hopeful that the new press will work and is thinking about ways to make it easier to separate the product from the mold. If all goes well, this new product will be included in the line in New York next month.

Nick Farnham wields the plastic bag press

…youth artist Nhi Nguyen was at work on new table tops. A Dorchester resident and senior in high school, Nhi has been coming to AFH for the past year. She started out in the painting studio then got hooked on making ReVision furniture. Her specialty is folding recycled paper. She can fold two narrow slices of glossy magazine paper into a perfect three dimensional five pointed star in six seconds. Origami meets ReVision! She places the stars in molds, resin is poured over them and a new stool or table top is created.

Nick Farnham and Co-Mentor, Jamison Sellers, will be finalizing pricing and ramping up production over the next several weeks. Then off to NYC with AFH youth artists who are able to make the trip for the weekend part of the show (that does not conflict with school). Says Nick, “We’re excited to take the ReVision Line to the next level.”

Meet Ramon Hidalgo

2011-01-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

Ramon Hidalgo talks about how AFH has helped him turn a lifelong love for cartooning into a collaborative business designing artwork for T-shirts and sweatshirts. Hidalgo is one example of how AFH promotes entrepreneurship among our young artists.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself

RH: I’m 18, and I’m a junior at Cristo Rey Boston High School in Savin Hill. I moved here a few years ago from New York City and I’ve also lived in the Dominican Republic for three years.

Q: How long have you known you’re an artist?

RH: I knew I wanted to be an artist in third grade. I started drawing because my brother was drawing. I’ve always loved cartoons and animation, especially Invader Zim. He’s an alien who’s trying to rule the world but he doesn’t know what he’s doing so it’s really funny.

Q: How did you hear about AFH and how long have you been employed here?

RH: I started coming here during sophomore year in high school, about a year and a half ago. A friend at school told me to come here because she thought I would really grow from it. Now she’s in college and she walks around her campus wearing T-shirts we designed. When people tell her they like the designs, she lets them know they can order them from me.

Q: What do you do at AFH?

RH: I work in the animation studio on cartoons and animation and I make designs for t-shirts and sweatshirts. I work with my friend, Ludgy Jean-Baptiste, every day. We’ve known each other for eight years. I knew him in middle school but then we went to different high schools and were separated. When I came here, I found him again. I consider him my brother. Our styles are similar. We have a label we named “BOX” for “Built on Xscaping”. I thought of the name in the shower! We’ve got a logo too. We make up characters like “Mr. and Mrs. Smooth”. They have their own definitions of what is cool. You know how everybody perceives “cool” in a different way? Our message is you’re cool in your own way no matter what you look like. We’re working on a new design right now that will have the words “Express Yourself” and it will have all different sizes and shapes of people in the design. It’s cool to be who you are.

Q: How do you go about creating the T-shirts and sweatshirts you sell?

RH: First we do drawings, then we scan them into the computer, then we fix them up in Photoshop, and then it gets printed out as a screen for printing on fabric. We choose the ink colors and shirt color we think it would look nice on. Right now, we’ve got three designs that are out but we’ve got thousands of drawings.

Q: How are sales?

RH: They are selling great. We’ve printed a batch of 24 t-shirts several times. Each time, we sell out! Diva’s Boutique in East Boston is going to sell them. The owner’s son wore one of our shirts to college and lots of people asked him where he got it so now they are going to sell them.

Q: What have you learned since working here at AFH?

RH: I have a great mentor, Mikey. I never even touched Photoshop before I came here. He taught me everything about how to use Photoshop and Illustrator. I only used to draw on paper before.

I worked at the sales cart in Faneuil Hall that AFH had last summer. I learned how to sell and it gave me more of a drive to make more and better designs.

I love it here. It’s opened up a lot of doors. What I like most is the networking with mentors and the other students.

Q: What’s your dream?

RH: Can you say “our” dream instead of “your” in the article? ‘Cause Ludgy and I are a team working together. Our dream is to have our own show on the cartoon network or Nickelodeon. Our main thing is having fun and we hope to live off of what we do best. Isn’t that the American dream?

Above: Ludgy and Ramon

Below: AFH Students and Staff model some of Ramon and Ludgy's designs.

Grand Circle Gallery and Artists for Humanity

2010-11-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

November 18, 2010 (Boston, MA) Grand Circle Gallery and Artists for Humanity (AFH) announce the opening of their joint-exhibit, “Going Places,” which will run through January 15, 2011 at Grand Circle Gallery at 347 Congress Street in Boston’s Fort Point Channel District.

Items will be available for sale following the close of the exhibit and will benefit AFH.

The exhibit features luggage and sneakers hand-painted by the students from AFH, guided by mentoring artist Sneha Shrestha, a native of Nepal and recent graduate of Gettysburg College. She is also the founder of the SHOO Project, an organization that raises funds to support a children’s library in Kathmandu, Nepal.

“Not only did these young artists rise up to the challenge of painting on a 3-D canvas [the luggage and the shoes],” said Shrestha, “but they were also ‘going places’ by learning so much about themselves and the countries they were painting.”

Each piece is tagged with a photograph of the artist and a statement written by the artist about the project and the country or city depicted. The work is displayed throughout the gallery and is enhanced by Grand Circle’s extensive collection of vintage travel posters and photography.

This collaboration supports the missions of both Grand Circle Corporation (GCC) and AFH and is not the first time the two organizations have partnered in ventures that support Boston’s inner-city teens.

“Our mission is to bridge economic, racial and social diversions by providing underserved youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in the arts,” said AFH Executive Director Susan Rodgerson.

“The opening of Going Places was a tremendous experience for the artists,” she added. “I overheard one of our teens say that the exhibit at Grand Circle Gallery made them feel accomplished – that is what we do at AFH.”

Grand Circle Corporation, (GCC), parent company of Grand Circle Gallery and travel companies Grand Circle Travel and Overseas Adventure Travel, strives to support the communities and countries from which it operates.

“We are thrilled to host this show at our gallery,” said Chairman Alan E. Lewis. “This is a very talented, dedicated group of teens who are clearly empowered by their artistic talent and take great pride in their work. It is our hope that they will continue painting and thereby enriching their lives.”

Grand Circle Foundation, the philanthropic arm of GCC, is a community partner and supporter of AFH, having donated more than $1.3 million to the organization in recent years.

GCC and AFH thank generous supporters Samsonite and Goodwill for their donation of luggage and Keds for their donation of sneakers.

Gallery hours are Wednesday and Friday, 11:00am-2:00pm; Thursday, 11:00am-7:00pm and Saturday, 11:00am-3:00pm. Admission is FREE and the gallery is handicap accessible. For more information on GCG, please visit www.gct.com/grandcirclegallery or call 617-346-6459. For more information on AFH, please visit www.afhboston.com.

Grand Circle Gallery Opening

2010-11-11T12:22:00.000-08:00

"Going Places" At Grand Circle Gallery (from the bostonist)

Artists for Humanity photo.

Grand Circle Gallery and Artists for Humanity (AFH) present a joint exhibit called "Going Places" beginning tomorrow 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. until January 15, 2011. The exhibit features luggage donated by Samsonite and Goodwill, and sneakers donated by Keds. All items are for sale after the close of the exhibit.

Young artists make over the luggage and sneakers using their creative ability. “Our mission is to bridge economic, racial and social divisions by providing underserved youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in the arts,” said AFH Executive Director Susan Rodgerson.

The Grand Circle Gallery is at 347 Congress Street in Boston. Admission is FREE and the gallery is accessible. For more information on Grand Circle Gallery, visit www.gct.com/grandcirclegallery or call 617 346-6521. For more information on Artists for Humanity, please visit www.afhboston.com.

New issue of the Boston Globe's Teens in Print with photos and artwork by Artists For Humanity teens.

2010-10-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Five times a year, Artists For Humanity's photography studio collaborates with WriteBoston and the Boston Globe to produce Teens In Print. The latest issue has a painting by AFH teen artist Tabbytha Ferguson on the cover. 830,000 copies are produced and distributed to young people and adults all across the region. Take moment to see the current issue on the Teens in Print website.

AFH on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric!

2010-09-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

As Artists For Humanity launches our 20th year, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric has told the story of our mission, our youth, our business partners and our successes. The segment - Artists For Humanity Blend Art and Economics: Boston Program Teaches Inner City Kids How to Make a Profit from their Artwork - aired last Tuesday evening. We have been thrilled with the response we've received from around the nation and have enjoyed sharing our work.
(CBS)

When it comes to the art world, 17-year-old Kershner Williams feels right at home. He strives to take his world of art to everyone else's world. Kershner's works are prominently featured at a Boston gallery, and they've also shown up in a few other high-profile places.

As CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports, his talent may have gone undiscovered, if not for Artists for Humanity.

Nineteen years ago, artist Susan Rodgerson created the after-school and summer program to teach art - and the art of the deal. The kids are encouraged to sell what they make.

"These are kids from across Boston who come from underserved families and neighborhoods in crisis," Rodgerson said. "We're really engaging them in real work-for-hire to support them."

Their art pieces range from $100 to $5,000. One project earned a $65,000 commission. Last year alone, the teens raked in $500,000. On average, kids get half of the profits - the rest of the profits are poured back into the program and the community.

The bike racks they designed are all over Boston. Other artwork has landed at Logan Airport.

From here, many careers have taken off. Alumni Stan Stanton is now a graphic designer for the sportswear giant Reebok. "I didn't know people get paid to paint or do art," he said.

Rodgerson began with just five students. All told, Artists for Humanity has produced 6,500 art entrepreneurs.

"It exposed me to making paintings which I hadn't done before," said Toni Jonas. "It exposed me to different kinds of people."

Kershner Williams found beauty and practicality in manipulating old magazines. So far his pieces have earned him around $18,000.

"Art is always going to be a part of me," Williams added.

AFH Teen Videographers make Top 3 in video contest!

2010-08-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

Here is another video submission by some AFH teen videographers for the B1Example Video Contest to "redefine street cred". A few posts back, we shared a video also submitted by some AFH teens. This past Friday, the B1Example campaign announced that both our videos along with a video created by AFH alum, Aneisha Malcolm, made the top three! Now, all the winners will collaborate on a new video to be screened in Boston movie theaters. Congratulations to all the winners!

Support Team AFH in the Rodman Ride for Kids!

2010-08-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Artists for Humanity has been selected to participate alongside 44 affiliate charities in Massachusetts to cycle together for our common causes in this year's Rodman Ride for Kids. We are thrilled to be a part of an event that has raised 7.2 million dollars for youth-based non-profits to date. Team AFH has been assembled and we are getting ourselves ready for the 25, 50 or 100 mile ride! The Rodman Ride for Kids is an umbrella matching gift charity, so all donations are matched by 10%! This means, when you donate $100, AFH receives $110.

On September 25, we will join 44 other charities to raise money and cycle together in support of underserved youth.

Team AFH has been formed and is looking for more riders and supporters!

Or sponsor Artists For Humanity through one of our Team AFH Riders:
Mikey Guadarrama • George Mallett • Patrice Maye • Cheryl Meyerson • Susan Rodgerson Jason Talbot • Danielle Thompson • Gabriel Tirado • Quyen Truong • Courtney Wheeler

By contributing to this event, your donation will be matched 10% by the Rodman organization, and 100% of your sponsorship will directly support Artists for Humanity.
This means, when you donate $100, AFH receives $110.

Or contribute by check to:
Artists for Humanity/Rodman Ride for Kids - 100 W. 2nd St. - Boston, MA 02127

To form your own team, get information on corporate sponsorship or have questions:
please contact George or Courtney at 617.268.7620

Any dollar amount donation is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your continued support of Artists for Humanity!

Mayor Menino presents new AFH bike racks to the city!

2010-08-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, Mayor Menino performed the ribbon cutting ceremony to officially present the installation of our bike racks in Brigham Circle. These bike racks are the product of a state-wide design competition, and the top three designs came from AFH teen sculptors: Joshua Rosado, Victor Torres and Cameron Akerdolu! Congratulations!

Here are some photos from the event:

Artists For Humanity on the Callie Crossley show

2010-07-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

click here to listen:
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Hosted by award-winning journalist Callie Crossley, The Callie Crossley Show offers a daily discussion of current events, local happenings, arts and culture, and water cooler buzz. From the boardroom to the bus stop, Crossley examines stories of interests from Boston and New England. In turn, she invites the community to weigh in, providing a forum for listeners to tap into the talk of your town.

AFH Video Studio enters BPHC Video contest!

2010-07-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

This year, Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) is running an anti-violence campaign called B1Example to redefine "street cred". BPHC created a video contest asking contestants to show how they set a positive example and redefine street cred. A few members from the AFH Video Studio took part by making a video and submitting it to the contest. Check out our first submission below:

Sculpture Studio works on preliminary designs for MBTA benches!

2010-07-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

This week, the Sculpture studio is working on designs for public seating at the MBTA orange line’s Assembly Square subway stop in Somerville. They are developing their designs first through sketches and then sketch models using materials like chipboard, Bristol board, cardboard, thin sheet metal, and rigid foam. We have had a couple of group tabletop critiques where each person presents the designs and models they’ve been working on and discuss their design considerations. We work as a studio to help one another resolve design issues and make decisions on things like scale and material choices. Some kids will be moving on to modeling their designs in Sketchup to test how they will look in the computer site model.

Here are some photos of the process:

Check back in with us to see the process unfold.

Artists For Humanity teens become MLK Summer Scholars!

2010-07-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Our summer program is in full effect! This past Wednesday, a group of Artists For Humanity teens attended the press conference for the John Hancock MLK Summer Scholars program. This program is the largest corporate initiative in the country to fund summer jobs for teens. Every Friday, MLK Summer Scholars will attend morning workshops that provide life-training and work skills, such as financial management, job interviews, resume building and more. We are proud to be a part of this initiative that invests in the future leaders of our world.

Check out our group of MLK Summer Scholars:

Please donate to support AFH summer jobs for teens!

2010-06-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

As the weather heats up this summer, so too does the activity inside the EpiCenter. Summer is our busiest time of year, when 120 Boston youth join us for 25 hours a week. We’ve got some exciting new projects lined up with some well-known and respected organizations. Here's a sneak peak at upcoming projects from the Graphics and Sculpture studio:

Designing John Hancock’s parking structure:

In Boston, the John Hancock Tower is an icon of the city skyline with its sleek, reflective blue glass exterior. This summer, Artists For Humanity teens are focusing their attention on the Tower's less iconic parking facility. AFH will conceptualize three design directions for wall coverings that will beautify the garage's exterior and tie the structure in with the John Hancock brand.

Development of a brand identity for Foxrock Properties:
Foxrock Properties asked us to create an entire brand identity for their mixed-use medical and corporate office complex. AFH youth will come up with a name for the complex and its two buildings, design logos, choose color palettes, compose typography for signage, and create graphics for the exterior of each structure. Collaborating the Sculpture studio, teens will design two monument signs for the office complex based on the logos, color palettes, and aesthetic of the new "brand." The team will design a similar monument sign for another office complex owned by the same company in Weymouth.

Creative signage and more city bike racks:
The Sculpture studio will work with AIDS Action to design creative signage for their new facility in Jamaica Plain, as well as create more amazing bike racks for the City of Boston!

Please help fund summer jobs for teens!
Please help support our programs this summer with a donation. There are so many opportunities available, but not enough funds to provide as many jobs as we’d like for teens. Your support is absolutely vital to help us provide valuable, educational jobs for our youth in this difficult economic environment.

Click here to DONATE NOW!

Check back soon for more updates on the exciting projects our teens will cranking out all summer!

AFH teen shows a story about race & self-perception at Boston's ICA

2010-06-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

The following is a photo essay created by AFH teen photographer, Mattaya Fitts, for the Adobe Youth Voices Project. Mattaya's piece premiered at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Boston on May 27, 2010.

"My piece revolves around race and it’s influence on self- perception. Growing up is difficult for everybody. You go through mental and physical changes, you determine what you like, don’t like, and who you associate yourself with. Factors such as race, culture, location, and more all influence these changes. It can be difficult, though, when you can’t just fit into one frame of society.

My mother is Asian and my father is African-American. Growing up biracial was difficult for me because I saw myself as one way but society saw me as another. As these views conflicted, I lost myself in a pool of self- hatred and frustration. Getting out of it wasn’t easy and it would take me a long time to become comfortable with myself but I did it.

I’m sharing my story because I feel that it is important for people to realize that they don’t have to stick to a common mold. You can be whoever you want to be. I’m hoping that people can relate to my story, gain a new perspective, or even just enjoy the pictures. Adobe Youth Voices has given me an outlet to express myself. Through creating this photo essay, I’ve learned how to talk about myself, which used to be quite difficult for me."

-Mattaya Fitts

Join us for the B1Example Launch Party @ AFH Epicenter!

2010-06-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Boston Public Health Commission and Artists For Humanity are teaming up for this summer's anti-violence campaign, B1Example!

We invite all teens, families and supporters to join us for the Launch Party on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at the AFH Epicenter as we kick off the summer B1Example campaign with:

*** A performance by Boston's own, Russell Ferguson, winner of So You Think you Can Dance
*** Guest speaker: Greg Selkoe, CEO of Karmaloop.com
*** Music, spoken word and dance performances by some of Boston's hottest groups!
*** Music by Jam'N 94.5
*** Free food
*** Free giveaways
*** and more!

Artists for Humanity EpiCenter
100 W 2nd St, South Boston, MA
June 16th 6:30 to 9:30

Free admission!

This project is supported by the Boston Public Health Commission Division of Violence Prevention and Office of Communications.

AFH Video Studio shows short film at Boston's ICA

2010-06-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

The following is a short film written, shot and produced by the AFH Video studio. The film, created for Adobe Youth Voices, had its world premiere at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston on May 27, 2010. Now, the film has been released on YouTube for the rest of the world to enjoy!

Synopsis (Written by Video studio Assistant Mentor, Aneisha Malcolm):

The Artists For Humanity Video studio has created a short film giving a glance at the struggles teens face everyday. The movie depicts four young teens with different problems and juggling the pressures of being in the middle of childhood and adulthood. TJ (the main character) deals with being rejected for a job because he is young and inexperienced. While trying to come to terms with this disappointment, he takes his frustrations out on three other teens he sees goofing off in a train station. While they all have their own problems, the characters must learn to come together and find a common ground in a society that misunderstands them.

Two AFH Studios Premiered Works at Boston's ICA

2010-06-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

This past year, AFH Photography and Video studios created digital media projects for the Adobe Youth Voices program. Two photo essays from AFH teen photographers and a short film from the AFH Video studio premiered at the Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Boston on May 27th, 2010. It was a proud evening where our teens got their shining moment on the big screen and hundreds of people heard their powerful stories.

The following photo essay was created by AFH teen, Vicki Chin.

"My name is Vicki Chin. I am 17 years old and a graduating senior at the John D. O’Bryant School. I was born in Boston but spent the first five years of my life in Shanghai, China where I lived with my mother and two aunts, Auntie Fanny and Auntie Bonnie. These women are very different from each other, yet they manage to embrace their differences and love each other unconditionally. I’m grateful to have grown up with their continuous love and support. I appreciate their patience with all my childish tantrums and giving me the strength to be compassionate. Growing up with the warmth and love given by my mother and two aunties, I thank them for being with me through every step of my life."

Check in tomorrow for another blog post featuring a short film by AFH Video studio!

"Local Collection" at Faneuil Hall Marketplace selling AFH ReVision

2010-06-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Interview with AFH Sculpture/ 3-D Design Studio Mentor, Nick Rodrigues

Right out of Mass Art in 2003, Nick Rodrigues became involved with AFH when he was hired as a metal smith designer for the building of Artists For Humanity EpiCenter. He used recycled building and household materials in designing the EpiCenter's fun public bath rooms and figured a way to recycle windshields from Crown Victoria automobiles into windshield banisters on the EpiCenter's mezzanine in the Lewis Gallery of the building. Since Fall 2004, Rodrigues has been mentoring the AFH apprentice youth artists in the AFH Sculpture Studio to create 3-D designs such as bike racks, awnings, sustainable furniture (part of the ReVision line) and other works for sale and commission.

AFH: Tell us about how Artists For Humanity got involved with Faneuil Hall's Local Collection.

Nick: Local Collection is a retail mix of over 30 emerging local designers and artisans. They have two locations, one in Glendale, CA and one that has just opened in Boston, in historical Faneuil Hall. AFH approached Local Collection about including ReVision tables and stools designed by our youth artists in the Sculpture/3-D Design Studio. They loved our story and they are excited to carry our artwork!

(With AFH Design team, Nick Rodrigues is fourth from the left.)

AFH: What will Artists For Humanity sell at Local Collection?

Nick: We decided to show some of our smaller pieces from our ReVision furniture line. They are all unique, one-of-a-kind sustainable furniture designed and created by teens in Boston.

AFH: Can you describe the creative process teen artists go through to make these stools and tables?

Nick: Each stool or table starts with one of our teens having an idea and choosing a palette of color or magazine material to work with. Then, they create unique patterns and designs with the magazines in a template. Next, their pattern is cast using a zero-VOC resin. Each design is unique to each teen’s vision.

AFH: Tell us about the five specific pieces going into Local Collection.

Nick: This collection reflects the diversity of the youth artists.

The star table was innovated by 17 year old Alice Luu. She’s graduating this year and attending Brandeis in the fall. She has extremely good attention to detail and produced a series of three tables that are a galaxy of origami stars. She sold the other two tables at our Greatest Party On Earth and this is the only one left.

Visionary and entrepreneurial star Dominique Butori created a sunset-inspired table. She will be attending Montserrat College on a full scholarship next year. Dominique chose a warm palette of yellows, reds and oranges and created a fade.

Young artist Adolfo Hernandez took a zen approach to his design by having a single green square surrounded by a white border. It’s a very classy, modern table by an urban teenager talented beyond his years.

This is a ReVision classic called “the woven.” Brightly colored strips are chosen and woven together to create a modern take on a traditional pattern. This design is perfect selection for a tourist on a first trip to New England.

Seventeen year old Cameron Akeredolu chose ReVision’s first and most prominent design, the Signature table. Using an exciting array of blue colors, Cameron created one of the most striking of the AFH collection to debut at Local Collection.

AFH: What happens to the money when AFH furniture is sold?

Nick: Local Collection receives a portion from the consignment, teens receive a percentage and then the rest supports Artists For Humanity programs. So when someone buys a piece of furniture, not only are they taking home a beautiful work of art, but they are also contributing to the development of this young artist and the program that serves over 120 inner city youth every year.

AFH: What are you most excited about with this new opportunity?

Nick: Being at Local Collection will provide AFH with international exposure. Our furniture is best viewed in person to appreciate its unique craft. This is a great opportunity to reach a large population visiting Boston so that they can learn the Artists For Humanity story and take it back with them to wherever they are visiting from. I think people will be amazed to realize that a place like Artists For Humanity exists in Boston.

We hope to have our youth go to Local Collection this summer so visitors can meet the artists and learn from them about their pieces.
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Prices range from $275 to $650. Be sure to check it out!

Local Collection is in Faneuil Hall Marketplace South Market Building #2135
(phone# 617-722-4310)

Store hours are Mon - Sat, 10AM - 9PM and Sun noon - 7PM.

For more information about our ReVision furniture and online purchases, click here!

Artists For Humanity winner of Boston Business Journal's Green Business Summit Award

2010-05-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

This week, Artists For Humanity was named a winner of the Boston Business Journal's Green Business Summit Awards for the design of the AFH EpiCenter. In addition to being one of only two non profit organizations recognized, and in the company of 13 major Boston area companies, AFH is the cover story of this week's BBJ issue on Sustainable Boston.

The EpiCenter was a dream. It was built to the highest standards of sustainable design. Our award winning Platinum LEED certified building is home to AFH mentors and our youth apprentices who are learning skills in six Studio arts but also about the EpiCenter's design and function and how to translate those lessons of conservation and sustainabilty into their every day lives.

Please take a look at the attached BBJ story (click to enlarge).