Ten years ago, the ICA galvanized a movement for teen arts education with the first-ever national Teen Convening. On November 2–4, 2018, the ICA hosted Building Brave Spaces: Mobilizing Teen Arts Education, an unprecedented gathering to reflect and build upon the knowledge and field-wide progress made in teen arts education over the past decade. This event served as a forum for collaboration and understanding across institutions, generations, and geographies and functioned as a catalyst. Through keynote sessions, workshops, and panels this conference addressed three key areas: what we know about the impact of arts education on teens; innovative teen programs and the leadership required; and how to mobilize a broader field. Access recordings of select sessions below, or all Hub videos here.

Publication

In December of 2019, the ICA published Brave: Reimagining Teen Arts Education, a timely compilation of contributions from speakers and teens involved with Building Brave Spaces, its Advisory Group, and artists, researchers, program alumni, and museum professionals from throughout the country. Two essays frame a series of interviews, punctuated by photos from the conference, as well as past Teen Convenings. These contributions shed light on current thinking about arts and education systems from a range of viewpoints and areas of expertise and imagine the different roles youth, artists, and institutions can play in the future. The publication by no means aspires to provide the defining answers to the many questions we have on these important topics. Rather we hope it will serve as a catalyst for continued dialogue, reflection, and action that eradicates the inequitable systems and structures of living and learning that inhibit our world from thriving. Download the publication

Program

Acknowledgments