Teen photographer Dalon Poole of Pasadena and Executive Director Scott Ward represented the Armory at the White House on November 17 to accept a major award from First Lady Michelle Obama.
Since 2006, the Armory’s Art High programs have made free after school art classes and mentorship opportunities readily accessible to local teens at parks, schools, and community centers throughout the region. Today, we’re thrilled to announce that Art High has won the 2015 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award — an accolade the White House calls the highest honor for after school art programs in the Nation.
Art High demonstrates the Armory's deep commitment to bringing the power of art into the lives of teens, especially those living in neighborhoods facing challenges like drugs, gangs, poverty, and racial divisions. Art High brings teens together that share a common interest in art and provides over 1,000 hours of free instruction to over 700 teens each year. Class offerings taught by professional artists include painting, drawing, ceramics, silk screening, street art, photography, video production, sound engineering, graphic design, animation, and more. Art High also serves incarcerated teens in LA County juvenile halls and detention camps.
• View Art High Pics on Flickr
• View Armory Press Release
• View National Press Release & Media Advisory
First presented in 1998, the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award is the signature program of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The awards are presented annually in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
