As warm, late-day sunlight streams through modern glass walls, an enlarged reproduction of a yellow and pink plat map labeled “August Wilson’s Hill” is illuminated on the wall. In the foreground, a small group of children from the community create a semi-circle around martial artist Chris Yau Choy Young as they practice the basic elements of Kung Fu and Tai Chi. The children clearly enjoy the movement, smiling as they jump in place to warm up, followed by wide-eyed attentiveness throughout the session.
This scene at the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh’s Hill District represents the new era of afterschool programming. Gone are the days of just keeping kids busy to keep them off the streets and out of trouble. The ‘craft project-for-the-sake-of-doing-a-craft project’ days are numbered. In its stead, new arts-based programming focuses on youth development. Through active and intentional teaching and learning, children and youth develop skills to aid in their academic, social and personal growth.
What this handful of wholly-engaged children may not realize is that they are gaining valuable life skills. In addition to specifics like time-space body awareness and an introduction to a foreign language, they are also developing concentration and self-regulation, and when they are helping one another out in small groups, they are building peer-to-peer social skills and mentoring relationships.
Naturally, when subjects like Kung Fu are the vehicles for learning, children and youth are initially attracted because it speaks to their interests. Videographer and photographer Curtis Reaves capitalizes on the lure of technology to explore social concerns and issues affecting the lives of the youth with whom he works at The Lighthouse Project at Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh. His medium of video and digital photography, provides a captivating medium to highlight the youths’ unique perspectives, voices and dreams.
Reaves’ residency, “Youth Voices & the New Media Arts,” guides students in collectively producing a blog or online magazine centered on relevant issues to them and their community. In the process of the residency, the youth learn strategies for teamwork, interview techniques, and composition, while strengthening their media-literacy skills. By focusing on video or photography as a vehicle for self-expression, students develop their critical thinking, storytelling and editorial skills while getting hands-on experience with production software like Photoshop and iMovie. 
Chris Young & Curtis Reaves are just two of Gateway’s many teaching artists who offer artist residencies during out of school time hours. From library settings to traditional school and community-based organizational programs, Gateway to the Arts’ artist residencies can occur anywhere that learning is taking place. As a fee-for-service provider, Gateway’s programs are available to supplement programming in schools and community-based organizations. From murals and mosaics to drumming and songwriting, all of Gateway’s teaching artists are practicing professionals in their respective fields. Together with educators and program managers, they develop arts learning programs that address youth development goals while building skills in the arts.
Since its origins in 1957, Gateway to the Arts has focused on quality arts learning and strives to stay at the forefront of best practices. The current focus on youth development in out of school time programs is no different. Currently, Gateway is participating in a two-year project to strengthen the partnerships of regional teaching artists and community-based organizations (“CBOs”) in out of school time settings. Working as a team, the teaching artists and CBOs are identifying quality arts learning and youth development outcomes and indicators in order to provide intentional teaching, positive environments, and role models that will allow the children and youth to build skills in the arts while strengthening their confidence, self-knowledge, cultural identity, and relationship to their community. Our goal is to help our region’s children and youth find a passion and a voice that will guide them to a successful future.
For more information on customized artists residencies for out of school time programming, contact Desiree Davis, Arts Partnership Associate at 412.362.6982 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it