MAYOR EMANUEL DESIGNATES 2018 AS THE “YEAR OF CREATIVE YOUTH” IN CHICAGO

Jan 09, 2018 James Currie Breaking News, Music News, This Just In 0

MAYOR EMANUEL DESIGNATES 2018 AS THE “YEAR OF CREATIVE YOUTH” IN CHICAGO

$2 million investment will support the work of young artists and youth arts organizations, culminating

in the Creative Youth Festival

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) today designated 2018 as the “Year of Creative Youth.” This will represent an over $2 million investment by the City of Chicago, and will include a Creative Youth Festival across the Millennium Park Campus, performance opportunities for teens at city festivals and partner events, cultural grants and convenings for youth arts organizations and a marketing campaign among other events.

“The Year of Creative Youth provides an incredible opportunity to support the creativity and growth of artistic children across Chicago,” said Mayor Emanuel. “I am proud to work with youth arts organizations and educators to launch new opportunities that will inspire the next generation of artists.”

Mayor Emanuel established continued investments for art and cultural affairs in the 2018 budget. Proposed amusement tax changes will close an existing loophole that benefited large live performance venues while cutting taxes for neighborhood theaters. This will result in additional revenue to support this expanded youth programming, as well as capital projects and cultural investments across the city.

The Creative Youth Festival will take place across the Millennium Park Campus on September 22, 2018. The event will showcase teen artists in dance, theatre, music, spoken word, the visual arts and more. Details will be announced next year.

DCASE will collaborate with Chicago Public Schools and Ingenuity, Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Library, the Department of Family and Support Services and other city departments to engage Chicago’s youth and youth arts organizations. As part of the Year of Creative Youth, the city will work with After School Matters, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Free Spirit Media, Marwen, SkyArt, Urban Gateways, Yollocalli Arts Reach-National Museum of Mexican Art and Young Chicago Authors and other organizations to inspire the next generation of artists.

“Chicago should be very proud of its innovative youth arts organizations—and the many cultural institutions that are committed to unleashing the creative potential of our teens and young adults,” said DCASE Commissioner Mark Kelly. “Today, we are pleased to announce IncentOvate grants for six of these amazing institutions.”

A $1.8 million investment will support the new Creative Youth Festival, expanding of existing City of Chicago cultural programming that engages youth, performance stipends for teens at City of Chicago festivals and partner events, convenings for arts educators and young artists and a marketing campaign.

An additional $200,000, amounting to nearly half of the Cultural Grants Program-IncentOvate funds awarded by DCASE will be designated to support creative youth. IncentOvate grantees organizing creative youth-focused projects include:

Art Institute of Chicago – Teen Empowerment Program
Chicago Children’s Choir – Long Way Home
Inner-City Muslim Action Network – Beloved Community Ceramic Arts Studio
Lincoln Park Zoo – Wild Marshall Square Sculpture Project
National Museum of Mexican Art – Year of Creative Youth Exhibition and Chill Set Series
Old Town School of Folk Music – Music Moves: An Arts & Community Wellness Initiative

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