On Friday, July 19th 2019, Arts Every Day held our 2nd Annual Youth Arts Market. The lower lobby and Black Box theater of Motor House was filled with different types of paintings, prints, culinary arts, clothing, henna, and jewelry. We partnered with Artscape through BOPA, and invited Taharka Bros. Ice Cream who came to talk to our youth vendors about entrepreneurship and socially conscious business practices. A lovely lunch was provided by our neighbors at Nancy by SNAC.
The entrepreneur workshop involved Femi Gbangbalasa of Taharka Bros Ice Cream who sat with the youth to discuss the origins of the company and how to keep your head up when trying to get your business off the ground. The youth were engaged and inquisitive, asking questions throughout. Afterwards, the students were invited to take a picture with the famous pink Taharka Bros Ice Cream truck!
The vendors for the Youth Arts Market showed a lot of passion for what they brought in. Armed with business cards, and a willingness to network, the youth showed support for each other and every single artist left that day having sold something. Luv Arts Project was there showcasing beautiful paintings and drawings created by 3 young artist. Sweet Kam was there to sell her snowballs which were delicious and came in colorful cups. Art With a Heart, a veteran antendee, also came and sold mosaics, artwork, and different crafts. Lemontopia sold various flavors of lemonade that was served in cute mason jars. The snowballs and lemonade were especially a hit on the extremely hot Artscape day!
Overall, the youth vendors were grateful for the chance to showcase and sell their work at an official Artscape event. This market also served as a networking opportunity for young business owners and artists to meet one another. We look forward to next year!
