On July 31, 2026, S.O.Y. Artista, a free four-week summer arts program for youth ages 11–24 from the greater Los Angeles area, celebrated the culmination of another inspiring year. Designed to expand access to the arts through immersive, culturally relevant instruction, the program welcomed students of all experience levels and provided every material they needed to create.

Over four weeks, students explored social justice, self-identity, and community connection through the artistic process, all under the guidance of Self Help Graphics & Art’s dedicated teaching artists.

Our youngest participants (ages 11–14) worked in polymer clay sculpture, clay mâche creatures, cyanotype and mixed media, and natural dyes and embroidery, while teens and young adults (ages 15–24) dove into storytelling through ceramics, muralism, natural dyes and printmaking, and screenprinting — all under the guidance of dedicated teaching artists.

As the finale, students got to exhibit their artwork to their friends and family at a community exhibition, which ended with a raffle for free art kits! We're grateful to our teaching artists and to Alcove Learning Center, whose space made us feel like we were at a magical art-making home.

We can't wait for next year's program in the summer of 2027!