Support from local organizations has allowed the Teen Visual Art Development Program to expand its reach within the local community and better the art skills of Syracuse teens.

The Teen Visual Art Development Program provides free artistic instruction to Syracuse high school students so they are able to develop portfolios, which can often help them gain admission to college-level art or design programs.

The program, founded by Syracuse University professors Dorene Quinn and Yvonne Buchanan, was awarded a grant and in-kind support for 2013. The program applied for the grant in 2012 and is now being applied, Quinn said.

The grant was awarded by the New York State Council on the Arts, the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Gifford Foundation, according to the Near Westside Initiative February newsletter.

Quinn said the program has relied on monetary grants and in-kind donations since it began in 2011. It started with the goal of giving urban high school students without financial resources opportunities to study art. In 2011, the program had only seven students, and has since expanded to 24 students, Quinn said.

“We want to remove as many obstacles as possible so we can provide free high-quality art materials and challenging, college-level instruction to our students in an environment that replicates a college experience,” Quinn said.

High school students with sufficient financial resources often take many years of additional classes to develop their art skills while in high school, and Quinn said she wants students in the program to be on a level playing field with those students, regardless of their financial situation.

She added that the program aims to help prepare students for college classes with the hope they will make a smooth transition to college life and complete their degrees in the future.

One of the recent donations came in the form of in-kind support from VPA. Quinn said VPA students have provided help by instructing teens in the program. SU administration has also started to recognize the success of the project and has been increasing its support, Quinn said.

One of the donors that funds the program is the Gifford Foundation, a local group focused on helping organizations who help people in their communities. The foundation gave $3,500 to the portfolio program, said Sheena Solomon, director of neighborhood initiatives for the Gifford Foundation.

“We’ve seen what Dorene Quinn and Yvonne Buchanan have done in the past with the program, and they’re from the community, and that’s what we look for – impact and involvement,” Solomon said.

Officials in the portfolio program applied for a grant as a part of the Gifford Foundation’s “What if Mini Grant Program,” which Solomon said is designed to provide a little extra funding to programs with the potential to have an influence in the community.

Solomon said the program provides a great opportunity in the arts for local teens, adding to the reasons why the Gifford Foundation selected it as a grant money recipient.

“The program opens doors to city high school students who wouldn’t have access to a good arts program,” Solomon said. “Not everybody is going to be a football player or athlete, but the arts are another great way to express to yourself.”

Published on February 28, 2013 at 12:28 am

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27