Youth Advisory Board

Artists in Education Program

Youth Advisory Board

The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is Southern Exposure’s dedicated group of artists and culture-bearers ages 15-18 who guide the artistic direction of our organization. How? They choose! Previous YAB members have organized events, exhibitions, and projects that shape a large part of Southern Exposure’s engagement with our local art community. We recruit for our Youth Advisory Board once a year. Full terms for members run from October to May and board members meet once a week in person. This program is a hands-on opportunity for emerging artists, curators, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs still in their formative years to exercise their own authority and experience creative leadership by executing their own projects and collaborating with artists and curators in SoEx’s wider community. They get to produce and witness their own cultural impact, and assess them by the metrics most important to them. Membership on our Youth Advisory Board also provides education on art presentation formats, the cultural landscape, art institution systems, and an intersectional understanding of how power might operate within these structures. YAB members also attend field trips to local arts organizations and galleries. Don’t miss your chance to participate in this fun and generative youth opportunity where friendships and skills blossom.

Apply to be a member of this year’s Youth Advisory Board here.

To learn more about what Youth Advisory Board members can accomplish together with SoEx’s support, look to some of the projects from previous years:

  • Painting a mural in Oakland’s Jingletown
  • Curating open call exhibition of work by Bay Area youth artists
  • Designing, illustrating, and writing content and publishing it all in a thematically cohesive zine
  • Holding workshops by and for youth artists
  • Interviewing local artists about their practices
  • Planning and executing in-person art markets and art pop-ups
  • Creating social media campaigns spotlighting local artists

What will you get out of participating in our Youth Advisory Board? Here are some of the skills, resources, and takeaways of this program:

  • Opportunity to work in a close-knit group with other local youth artists, 
  • Connect with the local Bay Area arts community, forging a network that will support you as you prepare to build your own career
  • Develop your own arts practice
  • Receive feedback from your peers and a supportive mentor
  • Learn and develop skills in the business end of arts practice (art sales, museum acquisition, gallery representation, etc.)
  • Experience that strengthens college and job applications

Time Commitment

Once weekly, October - May

Compensation

Youth Advisory Board members get paid a stipend to support their amazing work: $300 paid in two parts, $150 in October and $150 in May.

This year’s program runs October 2023–May 2024
Meetings are once a week virtually and sometimes in-person.

 

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE 2023-2024 YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD

Apply here.

Have any questions? Email Artists in Education Program Manager, Simon Tran, at [email protected]

Check out some of the spectacular projects from previous YABs below.

 

Previous Youth Advisory Board Interview with Maya Faith Chan and Zipporah Hinds below: