This annual exhibition presents work made by artists in CAM’s Teen Studio Art programs—LEAP Middle School Initiative and New Art in the Neighborhood—during the 2023–24 academic year. Each program is taught by members of CAM’s Resident Teaching Artist cohort and provides participants the opportunity to learn new skills and creative expression. Programs are held at CAM’s Learning & Engagement Studio, tuition-free with all project materials provided.  

LEAP is an after school program for middle school-aged artists (grades 6–8) who are interested in an in-depth exploration of contemporary art practices and mediums. LEAP Resident Teaching Artists this season created unique curricula that studied themes of identity and chance. Artists from Olivia Obi’s class created self-portrait paintings with backgrounds that reveal elements of each person’s identity. In Jeremy Rabus’s class, artists created a layered painting on paper that used the element of chance and creative intuition to build an abstract artwork. 

Since 1995, the nationally-acclaimed New Art in the Neighborhood (NAN) has sought to nourish the diverse and creative minds of our city’s talented young artists. NAN is designed for high school students (grades 9–12), combining project-based learning with open studio exploration by introducing new art practices while also responding to their curiosities. NAN Resident Teaching Artists this season each created unique curricula that studied themes of play and printmaking. Teen artists in Misty Long-Donoho’s class embraced concepts of playfulness and community to create found object sculptures and two-dimensional artworks. Blaine Deutsch’s class experimented with all things printmaking—from monoprints to screen printing—while also exploring the impact of printmaking throughout art history.

Teen Studio Art Exhibition 2024 is organized for the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis by Brandon Barr, Teen and Adult Programs Manager.