Help break down 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 public spaces throughout the PNW.Â
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 employment 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.Â
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. Â Through our community murals, we work with local artists with community organizations and business owners to facilitate interactive community engagement around the research, design, and installation of murals and public art in specific communities.Â
2022 Highlights
In 2022, Urban ArtWorks engaged 2,685 youth, artists, and community members through the creation of 118 public artworks in 24 Seattle neighborhoods and 12 cities!Â
- 104 youth apprentices completed 5,972 hours of paid arts training
- 69% youth are BIPOC; 65% are LGBTQ+; 55% have low-incomes
- 67 professional artists designed and installed murals
- 1,280 K - 12 youth in 4 school districts participated in our school-based programsÂ
- 1,234 volunteers supported community paint days
As we expand our reach throughout the region, we look forward to helping nurture strong communities through the creation of collaborative public art!
Artwork by: @santander.blanca