At Arts + Literature Laboratory, we believe that youth participation in the arts builds a more socially just, creative, and connected community.
Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL) fosters equitable access to arts education by arranging tuition assistance to many families, offering professional development for Teaching Artists, holding space for art forms made by historically resilient populations, and providing artmaking opportunities for children of incarcerated parents. Youth of all ages and backgrounds will find a home in ALL's youth arts program. Art builds resilience and makes a powerful case for understanding and justice. Please follow the links below to learn more about ALL’s Youth Art Ed offerings.
Academic Year Programs
ALL runs a variety of academic year programs on site in our spacious and sunny 3rd Floor Education Studio for young people who want to develop their technical skills and creativity in a supportive, accepting environment. Academic Year Art Education offerings include short-term workshops, afterschool art classes and March Spring Break Camp. Additionally, ALL regularly hosts youth art workshops on days when MMSD schools are closed.
Summer Youth Arts Camp
ALL holds 10 weeks of art and writing camps for young artists each summer. These engaging programs are taught by professional artists and educators. Different art and writing topics are explored weekly with Teaching Artists who specialize in a range of disciplines. Past topics have included: Recycled Art; Fashion & Textile Design; Drawing Animals & Ourselves; Indigenous Beadwork, Indigenous Porcupine Quillwork; Architectural Design; Realistic Drawing; Intro to Sculpture; and Making Memory Boxes - to name a few. Many of these classes will return in Summer 2024, as well as some new offerings!
Community Outreach
ALL’s values and vision include making the arts accessible to all community members. To that end, ALL offers a multitude of free or low cost outreach opportunities for young people in Dane County. Such opportunities include supplementing creative programming at schools, holding afterschool arts classes, running a Queer Youth Storytelling & Arts group, and having a robust collection of Indigenous Arts offerings, to name a few. ALL maintains partnerships with local community centers, social service agencies and peer arts organizations to better extend access to arts education. ALL provide numerous scholarships to youth from our community, including, notably, extending scholarships to one quarter of the overall Summer Youth Arts Camp enrollment. Email ceara@artlitlab.org with inquiries.