On Friday, a group of local youth, from elementary through high school, will take to the stage at the South Arkansas Arts Center to show their skills.
The children are members of the Young Artist Studio, a nonprofit founded by Stephanie Owens about a year and a half ago. The group’s mission is to promote, provide and foster creative opportunities to area youth using visual, performing and literary arts.
“A lot of the children have experienced a life-changing situation … so we’re going to create an environment that’s positive and use arts to combat what they’ve experienced, whether it’s drugs, alcohol, abuse, negative peer pressure,” Owens said. “We’re going to use art as our anti-drug.”
Owens said the group was formed after a particular experience concerning one of Owens’ children. She said her daughter had been having problems at school and it was not uncommon for Owens to receive a call from the school about an issue. One day, she received a call from the high school drama teacher, but this call was not about a problem. Instead, Owens was told that her daughter was “absolutely amazing” on stage and, after hearing how well she was doing, Owens began to think about how the arts can provide a creative outlet for many troubled youth.
From there, the Young Artist Studio, or YAS, was born.
Owens said she wanted to reach children who needed a platform to express themselves, a group for “children who have a creative ability that we don’t even know about.”
“I found out that these kids were absolutely amazing,” Owens said, adding that the children in the group range from artists who draw and paint to writers to singers, dancers and actors. “When they get together, it’s amazing. I just watch them, their faces light up … You just see a different child when they’re allowed to just be creative and express themselves in that way.”
The after-school program also provides mentorship and service opportunities. Owens said the group served as bell ringers for The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign, participated in community cleanups and took part in helping feed community members during the holiday season.
“We’re concerned about the whole individual,” Owens said, adding that academics are also an important aspect of the group’s focus.
And the members of YAS stick together, she said, noting that “they’re like a little family, they support each other.”
YAS is open to children from elementary through high school, with Owens adding that the goal is to follow the child from elementary school through their high school experience. Ideally, she said, they would then return later as a mentor or tutor for the next generation of young artists.
There is an application process for interested children, though Owens said it is a fairly simple process meant to ensure that each child’s parent or guardian knows and approves of the child’s involvement in YAS. The group meets on Mondays and Thursdays at 1400 Trinity St., though they sometimes opt to increase the amount of meetings per week. With the performance coming up on Friday, Owens said they have been meeting about four times per week to get ready.
“They are really, really excited about this,” Owens said about Friday’s show. “We are ready.”
When it comes to the show Friday, Owens said the project came about after the group did a small performance last year and wanted to try something bigger. Owens then got in touch with a writer she knows, Harold Massey, who put an original play together that addresses some of the issues local youth deal with every day. They then held auditions and started planning the official performance.
The YAS team is involved in every aspect of Friday’s show, from performing to set design to lighting, Owens said.
“All the kids didn’t want to be up front on the stage,” Owens said. “We found everyone their own niche.”
The show is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday at SAAC. Tickets will be available for $10, but there will be a red carpet meet and greet with the cast at 5:30 p.m. and the VIP tickets that include the meet and greet will be available for $15. Refreshments will be available during the meet and greet, thanks to contributions from the community.
Owens said she hopes to see a full crowd Friday showing the full support of the community.
“Our children need our support. They need to know we care,” Owens said. “I would love to have the house packed, I would love for there to be standing room only to show our young people that we’re supporting them and we’re behind them.”
Anyone looking for more information on YAS, from taking part to volunteering, can contact Owens on Facebook, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 469-682-4969.
Madeleine Leroux can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].