Family and Youth
21Minus
21Minus 2019, curated by the Teen Creative Agency June 15, 2019
Photo: Torie McMillan, © MCA Chicago
This year’s 21Minus has been postponed.
Led by members of the Teen Creative Agency (TCA), 21Minus is the MCA’s annual celebration of the vision and voices of Chicago artists and creative leaders under the age of 21. TCA’s creative energy is now being directed towards encouraging the museum to embrace anti-racist practices within an abolitionist framework. Sparked by the need for transparency regarding any museum funding of the Chicago Police Department, the TCA has called on museum leadership to address structural inequities throughout the institution. TCA members envision a museum that celebrates the value of Black lives not only in its exhibition program but in its internal workings and public communication.
Youth Programs staff at the MCA support TCA’s efforts to radically reimagine ourselves, our institutions, and our world. In order to support this ongoing work, MCA youth programming has been paused. Youth programs staff are committed to anti-oppressive learning in working with youth, wholeheartedly supporting their organizing efforts, and the structural changes to this program that will come from this youth collective.
Join the MCA’s Teen Creative Agency for a virtual celebration of Chicago artists under 21.
Explore live workshops and performances, downloadable zines, and DIY activities that open up conversations about power, justice, and creative agency. Build community virtually with other youth and adult allies.
TCA is excited to invite people of all ages to participate in our first ever virtual takeover. This program is free and open to anyone, of any age, anywhere in the world. Join us on the MCA website and Zoom on June 13!
Follow @tcaatmca and #21Minus on Instagram for more details.
Members of the Teen Creative Agency, 2019–20
Members of the Teen Creative Agency, 2019–20
Schedule
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Live Events
Throughout the day, enjoy a full schedule of workshops, performances, and interactive moments led by Chicago youth. Live events will be happening on both Instagram Live and Zoom.
Noon–12:45 pm
- Launch!: Kick off the afternoon with a chill, fun set by DJ Fusion.
12:15–12:45 pm
- Artist Convo: Mossy Tooth and Roach Cottage. Learn to make seed bombs while talking about the environment and social justice.
12:45–1:15 pm
- TACO bands: Horsegirl
1:15–2 pm
- Workshop | Theater of the Oppressed: Create visual interpretations of what freedom means to you using activities and strategies based on Augusto Boal’s revolutionary theatrical techniques. Facilitated by Vanessa Rivera.
1:30–2 pm
- Artist Convo: Dale! Dale! Learn to make a pinata while talking about inequality and neighborhood pride.
2–2:30 pm
- TACO bands: Neptune’s Core
2:30–3 pm
- Against all Odds: Watch a performance by Mya Cavner, followed by an interview with Imani Joseph.
3–3:30 pm
- TACO bands: Mock Nine
3:30–4 pm
- Cult Classic: In this live figure-drawing workshop, draw the space around the model, rather than the model themself. Through facilitated prompts and conversation, consider when and how individuals have control over their bodies in art history and contemporary life. Facilitated by TCA.
4–4:30 pm
- TACO bands: Joe Power
4:45–5 pm
- Finale: Participate in a cathartic virtual ritual that can be done from home with whatever you have available. Details will be announced closer to the event.
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All-Day
Participate in hands-on projects anytime throughout the day.
- Dale! Dale!
Make a pinata and hang it outside to bring positivity to your neighborhood in this city-wide intervention. This project is especially interested in encouraging pinata-making in BIPOC neighborhoods. - Mossy Tooth
Learn how to make seed bombs while talking about environmental racism and justice. - The Pledge
Uplift your core values by creating a personal flag. Contribute your flag to a collective collage and , amplifying the personal commitment and mission of Chicagoland youth. - Setting Your Ass on Fire
Creativity can spring from destruction. Reenergize your creative spirit by participating in collaborative prompts based on the cycle of destruction and creation.
Participate in a collaborative drawing project on IG stories on June 13.
- Roach Cottage
Participate in a conversation about infestation, colonization, and cockroaches. How are we connected by the places we inhabit? What does it mean to claim space?
- Party for One
Participate in a short, fun virtual scavenger hunt and receive a personal party kit with items from the hunt in the mail.
- Dale! Dale!
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Zines
Check out a library of youth publications. Read and download zines, comics, and coloring pages from our library of youth publications, including:
- Doodles by Eva: Coloring pages for relaxation and reflection
- Inside the Minds of an Expressive Youth: A zine about youth fashion in Chicago
- Escapism: A comic about creative expression
- Vortex: A Green Age comic book about a superhero who uses his power to clean the Earth
- “L”evated Transportation: A zine about daily life on the CTA
- $elf $ufficiency and Power: A youth’s guide to financial literacy
- Different Reality, Same World,d: A series of posters and stickers about tolerance, religion, self-image, and addiction
- Blossoming: A zine about growing up
21Minus is curated and produced by Teen Creative Agency members: Alex Gallegos, Angelina Cofer, Ari Antos, Ari Karafiol, Chance Marks, Diego Lucero, Edana Lynch, Elvis Hernandez, Fiona Lyons-Carlson, Isaiah Robinson, Noé Nelli, Zoe Haralambidis, Daniel Brito-Virto, Ell Avila, Graham Webster, Hisham Kysia, Imani Joseph, Laila Latta, Martin Kong, Nina Cleofe, Okicize Beauvais, Salvador Patron, Sophia Morris, Van Gavia, and Vivan Zamora.
Bands curated by Teen Artists Creative Oasis (TACO)
The TCA is supported with support from Lead Artists Jory Drew and Olive Stefanski, Lead Artists; Learning Coordinator Emily Gallaugher, Learning Coordinator; Grace Needlman, Manager of Youth and Family Programs; Grace Needlman, and a cross-departmental team of MCA staff.
