Teen Artists for Change: Designing for Impact

Grades 7th-12th
Instructor: Emely Casasola-Amaya
Saturdays, 2:00-4:00pm
Dates: Sept. 20- Nov. 8 
Tuition: FREE! Registration required

What if your art could help someone feel seen and celebrated? In this special fall edition of Teen Artists for Change, you’ll partner with May We Help to design and build an incredible Halloween costume for a child who uses a wheelchair, collaborating directly with the recipient and artist-engineer Emely Casasola-Amaya, a member of the River Rat Puppet Collective, to bring their vision to life.

Over the first four weeks, you’ll help bring a custom costume to life, contributing through sketching, detail design, and hands-on building based on a concept prepared by Emely. You’ll experiment with materials, learn creative problem-solving, and work together to make something truly magical.

After the costume is delivered, you’ll keep the momentum going by designing custom wheelchair accessories like spoke covers, handlebar bling, and more to personalize the recipient’s chair for their everyday use.

This program blends visual art, engineering, and service in a powerful way, with an optional visit to the May We Help’s annual Halloween festival, where you can see your work in action! Whether you love to draw, build, sew, or just want to make a difference through art, this project-centered program is for you.

Teen Artists for Change is supported by a grant from the Charles H. Dater Foundation.