Urban ArtWorks

A nonprofit organization

$10,536 raised by 53 donors

100% complete

$7,500 Goal

Breaking Barriers One Wall at a Time!

Mission

Urban ArtWorks is a Washington-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage youth, artists, and communities in the creation of public art that inspires connections and honors their voices.

Since 1995, we've collaborated with thousands of young people and hundreds of artists to bring art to publics spaces throughout the PNW. We are proud to be a Governor's Arts & Heritage Awards Honoree!

Through paid youth mural apprentice programs, K-12 school partnerships, and commissioned and community murals, we are breaking barriers - one wall at a time!

“I feel a lot more comfortable working with people I don’t know, and I have definitely gained more leadership skills. I also learned to challenge myself artistically and be more confident in my skills.” - Youth Apprentice

We envision a world where all people have access to the transformative power of creating public art. We achieve our Mission and Vision through four core programs:

1. The Mural Apprentice Program (MAP) provides arts-based employent opportunities for youth with barriers to work together with professional teaching artists to learn art skills, research, design, and install murals for social service organizations.

2. The Base Crew is a paid year-round mentorship and training program for teens who have completed the Mural Apprentice Program and wish to deepen their arts and design experience. This program is a pathway for youth to become future muralists, teaching artists, and leaders of Urban ArtWorks.

3. Our school-based programs engage K-12 youth to work alongside Teaching Artists to explore themes and issues, design, and install art within their schools. Each school program we offer is customized to fit the needs of each school or classroom and can be integrated into the standard curricula of each grade level.

4. Through our commissioned and community murals, we work with local artists, community organizations, and business owners to facilitate interactive community engagement around the research, design, and installation of murals and public art in specific communities - often with help from volunteers!

Impact & Highlights

In 2024, Urban ArtWorks engaged 2,650 youth, artists, and community members through the creation of 102 public artworks in 15 Seattle neighborhoods and 12 additional communities!

195 teen apprentices engaged in paid arts training, earning over $90,000 in stipends
73% of youth apprentices were from BIPOC communities, 38% were LGBTQIA+, and 54% were low-income
1,593 K - 12 students engaged our school-based programs in 4 school districts
31 Teaching Artists (73% BIPOC, 47% LGBTQIA) mentored youth
58 local Professional Artists designed and installed 60 public artworks; 75% of projects were designed by BIPOC artists.
757 volunteers supported community paint days