Chapel Hill teen center to launch mixed-media art project

A group of Chapel Hill teens will soon explore their artistic side by combining visual, performance and musical art forms.

The Street Scene Teen Center is pairing with Chapel Hill Public Arts Office to offer Between the Lines, a project that will allow about 20 local teens to explore melding poetry, music, cinematography, visual arts and textiles.

The project is designed to give teens a voice through hands-on art projects and collaboration with professional and local artists. The program will begin Friday at the teen center’s location under the post office on Franklin Street and continue every Friday for 10 weeks.

“One of the things the teens will be doing is they will be creating poems or song lyrics, based on their own experiences or whatever it is they wish to express,” said public art administrator Jeff York.

York hired professional textile artist Peg Gignoux, who will help the teens produce a 10-by-10-foot abstract textile work based on their original poetry.

After an initial community display, the center will house the artwork permanently.

Liz Carter, youth council coordinator for the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department, said emphasis on art education will not end with the program.

“This will be the first of many hands-on projects involving artists, so we can not only present (teens) with things but also let them actively participate,” she said.

York also hopes to engage the Sacrificial Poets group, a local spoken word group that recently received national recognition.

“One of our teen mentors, Terrence Foushee, is a member of the group and we want them to help out with the poetry and lyrics component of the project,” York said.

Foushee said he started working with the center last September and noticed that they struggled with attendance.

After a meeting with the town, it was decided that an art project would be a good way to pull in teens and also inspire them, he said.

“We want to teach the youth that they have the ability to express themselves,” Foushee said. “They have a voice and how they feel is important.”

Foushee said art can help boost teens’ self-esteem and provide them with direction in their lives.

“Just having a huge piece of art that they played a part in creating will show them that what they do in this community really does matter,” Foushee said.

York also said the program will include teens who were recommended by adults in the community, from the center and from local high schools.

In addition to the students who have been chosen, there are about ten spots open to any teen who wants to sign up to be a part of the project.

While there is no cost to students involved in the program, the total cost for Between the Lines is $6,500, York said. The project is being funded by a $1,500 grant from the Orange County Arts Commission and a $5,000 grant from the cultural arts division of the Chapel Hill parks and recreation department.

York has worked with the teen center previously on other projects and said he plans to stay involved in the future.

“One of the mayor’s emphases for the town of Chapel Hill is to work with teens,” he said. “This was a good way to utilize the arts to help teens express themselves in a positive manner.”

Contact the City Editor at city@dailytarheel.com.