Teens

At the MCA, teens don’t just observe contemporary art—they actively engage with it and the artists behind it. The museum provides resources that empower them to dream, plan, and create responses to the issues that matter most to them.
Apply to TCA
A group of people pose in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Teen Creative Agency

The Teen Creative Agency (TCA) is the MCA’s cultural leadership program for Chicago teens (14–19 years old) who come together from all over the city and use contemporary art to create, dream, and envision, and to transform issues that are important to them.

TCA members meet weekly to grow their agency and collaboration skills, build community, and develop creative projects and public events under the guidance of two Lead Artists. Weekly sessions include time in the galleries, visits to other cultural sites, meetings with artists and museum staff, and time to work on collaborative projects.

To learn more, email Ahmad Bracey, Manager of Learning: School and Youth Communities, at abracey@mcachicago.org or call 312-397-4020 with questions.

21Minus

This annual showcase of teen creativity and passion fills the museum with exciting projects that invite visitors to engage with the museum and each other in unexpected ways.

A square window with balloons that spell out 21 Minus
21Minus | What Was, What is, June 17, 2023. Photo: Shelby Ragsdale, © MCA Chicago
Band of teens plays instruments and performs on a stage.
Photographer: Sarah Kam. Event: 21 Minus: (Period) of Time, June 14, 2025, MCA Chicago.
A group of six models displaying a variety of unique, colorful outfits in an outdoor fashion show.
21Minus | Love and Liberation, Jun 15, 2024 Photo: Sarah Kam
A person gives two thumbs up next to a table filled with artwork
21Minus | Love and Liberation, Jun 15, 2024. Photo: Sarah Kam
A person writes on a brown wall filled with other paper and a wooden bed filled with black and white images and text. The largest text written on the wall reads do you remember how you drew as a child
21Minus | What Was, What is, Jun 17, 2023. Photo: Shelby Ragsdale, © MCA Chicago
White sculptures hang from a metal structure under a white canopy. Two people gather around the artworks and a man lying on the ground looking at one of them.
21Minus | What Was, What is, Jun 17, 2023. Photo: Shelby Ragsdale, © MCA Chicago

21Minus is curated and produced by TCA with support from Lead Artists Olive Stefanski and Miguel Limon, and Ahmad Bracey, Manager of Youth and Schools. It is free for people age 21 and under and their families.

Project submissions are accepted each winter.

Youth-led Programming

Learning, School, Youth & communities team in partnership with organizations from across Chicago, designs and hosts events, including deep conversations, performances, and activations that intent speak to and platform the ideas and perspectives of the city emerging artists and cultural workers.

Upcoming Events

The MCA is proud to highlight Chicago artists and cultural leaders under 21. For what’s up next, follow @TCAatMCA on Instagram.

View All Teen Events

TCA Applications

Are you a curious, creative, and committed 15- to 19-year-old? Are you interested in receiving up to $1,600 a year for making art, planning events, and gaining career expertise?

Applications for TCA open next spring.

Funding

Free admission for anyone 18 and under is generously provided by the Lefkofsky Free 18 & Under Fund.

Major support for Learning programs at the MCA is provided by Crown Family Philanthropies.

Additional generous support is provided by the Friends of Edwin A. Bergman Fund, the Hulda B. & Maurice L. Rothschild Foundation, The Marshall Frankel Foundation, and The William Randolph Hearst Foundations.

Teen Creative Agency

Generous support for the Teen Creative Agency is provided by the Dr. Scholl Foundation, The LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, and the Peoples Gas Community Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation.

SPACE

Lead support for SPACE is provided by Crown Family Philanthropies.

Major support is provided by the Polk Bros. Foundation.

Additional generous support is provided by Capital One and the Dr. Scholl Foundation.