Less Sun, More Art!
DNDA’s EcoArts program provides Delridge youth with not only hands-on environmentally inspired creative arts programming, but also uniquely integrated opportunities to spend meaningful time at West Seattle’s local parks and green spaces!
Two kids working on an art piece together using paint and hot glue.
However, the winter season presents a few challenges, such as colder temperatures, rainy conditions, and less daylight, which can dampen enthusiasm and turnout. Additionally, limited outdoor engagement is not exclusive to winter seasons. Underserved youth and youth of color experience year-round barriers to arts education and the outdoors, according to a report by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the Aspen Institute’s State of Play Seattle-King County. Fostering young people’s connection to the arts and the natural world remains essential for healthy growth and development, a priority for our EcoArts program. Whether it be seasonal challenges or systemic barriers, we are committed to ensuring youth consistently experience the benefits of both arts and nature.
Child working on an EcoArt project.
Fittingly, DNDA and the High Point Branch Seattle Public Library partnered to host a two-day youth EcoArts program at the library during Seattle Public Schools’ mid-winter break, serving 20 youth participants. These youth participants created their own Eco journals using recycled and natural materials like leaves, sticks, and seeds. In the following session, youth painted and decorated upcycled mason jars to create “plant pets,” each making their own take-home water-propagated spider plant. Both sessions used beginner-friendly and accessible arts activities to teach youth about sustainability practices, provide outlets for creative expression, and make nature more accessible. We thank the High Point Branch Seattle Public Library, our teaching artists, and all the young people who attended for this amazing program experience!
Different finished EcoArt projects made by the kids with lots of different texture and color.
-Written by DNDA’s Art Programs Specialist Intale Shuba