Michelle Obama has been praised throughout her family's reign over the White House for her amazing efforts within youth development over the country. Now, as the first family prepares to leave an impressive legacy behind, the first lady is honoring a Latino museum for their strides in bridging the gap between the youth and the arts.
According to FOX News Latino, the Mexic-Arte Museum in Downtown Austin, Texas will be honored with the nation's highest achievement for creative youth development programs.
Known for its display of Latin art, culture and history, Mexic-Arte Museum has been providing thousands of students the opportunity to learn techniques and skills within art.
The "Screen It!" program teaches screen printing to students of various ages, usually 10 to 17, and the purpose of the program is to bring this new art technique into their classroom." Olivia Tamzarian, an education coordinator for Mexic-Arte Museum, said. "What a lot of people don't realize is, this art form has a strong tie to the Latino community, so screen printing is a way of spreading a message."
Students like Kassey Rocha, who has been in the Screen It! program for almost three years, have learned how to share that message artistically on T-shirts, hats, and other everyday items.
"Me growing up loving art, I felt like I couldn't do anything with it. It was just a hobby for me. And when I joined the Screen It! program it taught me that I could make something out of my art. I can print T-shirts with my own art and make a career out of it," Rocha said.
Along with winning the prestigious honor from the first lady, the program will receive $10,000. Tamzarian is hopeful that the award and the project will continue to serve the Latino community and provide students with an outlet within the arts.
"It's such an honor for us," Tamzarian tells the site. This is a program that we really have poured our heart and soul into. It's tied to the Serie Project which was founded by Sam Coronado, co-founder of Mexic-Arte Museum, and he passed away a few years ago. So it's a way of continuing his legacy of engaging the Latino community.I'm hoping that it will attract a lot more students to embrace their passions, if they love art." Rocha said, "I'm hoping that it can teach other students like myself, that art is a possibility if they want to follow it as a career."
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