Category: Students

Student Spotlight: Mica Viacrucis

Posted on Thursday, March 28th, 2024 at 10:07 pm
Written by Arts Corps

Student Mica Viacrucis, a teenager with dark shoulder-length hair, wearing a flannel in front of potted succulents

We are so excited to spotlight one of our talented student, Mica Viacrucis! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and your art with us, Mica.

What Arts Corps programs have you been involved in? What impact have these experiences had on you?

I was an intern at Arts Corps’ Art 4 Life Program @Octave 9, which took place Spring 2023. Alongside other creative youth, I practiced film, photography, and performance, focusing on themes of environmental justice. This program helped me realize how wonderful surrounding myself with other youth artists is, and how thrilling putting myself out there can be!

The program lasted less than a week, but I could feel my cohort open up to each other as the days passed by. At first, we were hesitant to participate in activities like singing and dancing in front of each other. I watched as others stepped out of their comfort zone, trying new things and accepting vulnerability, and it inspired me to join too. The initial embarrassment washed away as we shared these experiences and got to know each other. I’d met such amazing visual artists and skilled musicians, and generally such welcoming people. I made friends that I still talk to today, almost a year later! The love and encouragement I received from them has helped me find the courage to put myself out there more often.

I remember the final showcase, when I was backstage with one of my dear friends I joined the program with, Lorein. It would soon be our turn to perform our duet. We were going to sing “City of Stars” from the musical La La Land. I’d never sang for a crowd that wasn’t family or close friends before, so I was feeling very anxious. Lorein and I had practiced for hours, but I still worried I would forget a lyric or my voice would crack. Though when I started singing, my nervousness melted away and was replaced by excitement. We sang together under the purple lights, our hard work paying off as we listened to the applause and cheer. Later, one of the friends I made told me this shouldn’t be the last time I perform in front of an audience.

Those words touched my heart. Since Art 4 Life, I’ve pushed myself to try new things and have more confidence in myself. I sang at my school’s Open Mic, and danced in front of hundreds with my cousin in the Philippines. I’ve also attended many art events and joined art programs since then, after realizing my love for community.

What does creativity mean to you?

Creativity is everything to me. A means of self expression, entertainment, and a way to connect with others. I’m often lost in deep thought and imagination. Ever since I was a young child, my parents would catch me staring off into space at the dinner table and have to remind me to eat.

I’m someone who is easily inspired by the things around me and the people I meet. The view after everything has been rained on, and the beauty of light breaking through clouds. The warm sound of people laughing together in bustling restaurants, each person molded by their own unique experiences and thoughts. With my art, I want to capture impactful moments and immortalize those I’ve cherished with stories, words, and drawings. For me, expressing my love through art is a form of self expression.

I’ve also created a lot of art without an established meaning, as the process of creation is simply fun to me. Sometimes my hands move first and my thoughts follow after. Sometimes it feels like I am not thinking of anything! It feels right for me to do art, and it’s hard to imagine myself without it.

Creativity is powerful. Sharing art with others, whether that be making art with someone or for someone, brings people closer together. There have been many times where art could convey emotion impossible for me to explain. Many times where I could bond with people I knew nothing about beforehand through art.

What mediums do you like working in and why?

I have tried a ton of different mediums: acrylic paint, pastels, markers, collage, papercraft, and so much more. I like exploring different outlets for creativity and feel my skills in one medium transfers to others. I also enjoy other disciplines of art, such as photography, music, and dance!

I am most familiar with digital art, and like the convenience and endless opportunity it provides. I’ve practiced digital art since 2021, starting out with my phone and finger on free art apps. I now have a drawing tablet, stylus, and an art software, although I strongly believe materials don’t matter. Many of my favorite pieces were created on my phone!

I also like oil pastels and watercolor. Compared to digital art, these mediums are much less forgiving, but having these limitations pushes me to be more intentional with each stroke.

What is one medium you haven’t tried, but are interested in exploring?

I would love to try oil painting! I’ve seen a handful of people around me use it and I have the materials, but I haven’t gotten around to trying it just yet. I’m curious on how different it will feel from other types of paint. I know that its consistency can vary based on the mediums you add, and the drying time is significantly longer.

What artworks are you most proud of?

Kingdom of Debris – Digital art, Clip Studio Paint (Drawing tablet)

I am proud of this art piece considering both its emotional significance and the technical aspects of the art. It is inspired by one of my dearest friends’ fictional stories that they would tell me about, of a king whose kingdom would fall under his reign. I wanted to make their story come to life by drawing the protagonist. I am most proud of my attention to detail in the armor. I did studies on how metal looks, and took the time to draw cracks in the armor. This is also the first piece I created when I got a drawing tablet!

Digital art by Mica Viacrucis: a king wearing battered armor in a throne room, light streaming in and roses losing petals

Oblivion – Digital Art, ibisPaint X (phone and finger)

I went to my friends’ highschool orchestra concert, and was mesmerized by the string bassist, who seemed to hold the song together. I could feel the low hum of the instrument in my chest. The spotlights above the stage reflected beautifully on the musician and his instrument, and I wanted to capture this moment. In the background of the drawing is the sheet music of the piece he played.

Digital art by Mica Viacrucis: a string bassist playing, with a blue background of sheet music titled Oblivion

Sophie – Oil Pastel on Black paper

I made this for my older sibling, who has supported all of my art endeavors, and me as a person. Sophie is their lynx point siamese cat! As one of my favorite mediums, I like the consistency of oil pastels and blending the colors. I always make a mess when I use them though!

Oil Pastel on Black paper by Mica Viacrucis of a lynx point siamese cat wearing a silver tag "Sophie"

Untitled – Watercolor and Colored Pencil

I’ve only recently got into watercolor, and I am proud of my progress in this medium. I like the texture of the paint and enjoy layering colors. I worked on this for 6 hours straight and am proud of the depth of this painting and how the flowers turned out!

Watercolor and colored pencil piece by Mica Viacrucis of half a face with abrun around the eye, surrounded by flowers

 

What is one lesson you’ve learned that you’d like to share with fellow student artists?

I’ve learned how important it is to surround yourself with other artists and creatives! Going to art events and joining communities has been a huge factor of my own improvement. Gaining new perspectives, advice, and support from others is important. I often find myself stuck, or stare at a piece of art or writing for hours because it just doesn’t look right. Sometimes a pair of fresh eyes can see what I can’t, offering new ideas and pointing out what could be improved. I am someone who values mentorship! Learning from someone more experienced than you, that challenges and supports your growth, is extremely helpful and inspiring. I encourage youth artists to join programs, take classes, and talk to professionals in the fields they are passionate about!

In a video you made for Art 4 Life @ Octave 9, you and your classmate Lorein spoke of littering in Seattle and a possible solution being the deposit-refund waste management system. How do you see art intersecting big topics, such as environmentalism and public health?

I see art intersecting topics like environmentalism and public health in very significant ways. I’ve seen many people share art on social media relating to the environment, social justice, mental health, and more. Social media is a fast way to reach a lot of people. Being able to share stories and spread awareness is powerful in an age where media censorship is prevalent in many parts of the world and telling your own story in the face of that is important. 

There has been a well documented rise of young people experiencing mental health challenges. The youth mental health crisis is something I care a lot about, as I know many people who suffer from anxiety and depression. In the future, I hope to become an illustrator and create stories that can reach people. In my own art, I want to provide visibility for marginalized and underrepresented communities. Representation for communities I too am part of, that I didn’t have when I was growing up and discovering who I am. I hope my art can make someone entertained, have a more open mind, or feel seen.

 

You can learn more about Mica and their art through their website: mivi

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Alum Spotlight: Xandra Yugto

Posted on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2022 at 7:47 pm
Written by Arts Corps

Arts Corps alum Xandra Yugto sits in a pink dress.

What Arts Corps program were you involved in? What impact did the experience have on you?

I was involved in the Arts Liberation & Leadership Institute (ALLI). Being part of the ALLI cohort felt very freeing. I was able to express myself and I had the tools and guidance to do so. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity. The teaching artist, Adam Jabari, taught different photo techniques and challenged us to tell stories with intention. Additionally, I was part of a partnership Arts Corps had with Teaching Artists Guild that involved developing and facilitating virtual professional development for teaching artists. It gave me a space to teach about my passion for filmmaking and it’s how I started to pursue this passion. I even got to meet an actress who was watching the presentation that worked for one of my favorite directors — the very director that inspired me to take a chance with filmmaking — Alice Wu. Her film, “The Half of It,” is what inspired me to take a leap towards the film industry. 

Do you have a favorite memory from your time at Arts Corps?

My favorite memory from my time at Arts Corps was presenting my photos from the ALLI internship at the virtual showcase. I started out by introducing the whole showcase, and my heart was pounding. But I wanted to embrace this feeling and it made me realize how much I love to chase things that challenge me. When it was my turn to talk about my photos, it felt natural and it brought me joy to express the thinking behind my creative process. One notable photo I took is called, “Drowning w/ Flames.” I remember when my teaching artist Adam reacted to my photo and said, “Well done.” It is a photo that I am proud of, especially since it was chosen to be on one of the posters promoting the showcase.

You’ve continued your journey as an artist since being an Arts Corps student. What have been some challenges, moments of growth, and opportunities for exploration you’ve been able to encounter?

In 2020, I achieved my dream job of becoming a Production Assistant for the second season of the popular teen show, Hetero. It was a miniseries about queer teens trying to save their schools GSA. One week before filming started, the show was canceled. I was crushed, but since then, I am so thankful to say that I have had many more opportunities to learn and grow.

In 2021, I became a part of the Digital Production Lab at the Vera Project. This internship was dedicated to giving mostly BIPOC & LGBTQ+ youth artists the ability to be trained by industry professionals in the filmmaking and music community. In this program, I wrote, sang, and recorded a song called, “Two Girls in Love,” that was meant to give representation to the LGBTQ+ community, from my experience as a young queer person. In addition to that, I created a short film that looks into the struggle of feeling like I have to be the model minority as an Asian American and the struggle of accepting my own identity as a queer person.

My most recent internship was with Youth in Focus and I was part of the Creative Career Cohort. In this program we learned about uplifting our own voices and telling our own stories. I created a self-portrait named, “my garden” that highlighted my Filipino culture through a necklace and embraced different aspects of my identity. This program was dedicated to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students, so I learned so much just from interacting with the other interns in my cohort. Additionally, we were given a curriculum from BIPOC teaching artists and it was inspirational to learn from people with similar experiences to my own. 

Lastly, I have been working for Ascendance Pole & Aerial Arts since May 2022. It is the only nonprofit pole studio in the region and the goal is to empower a diverse community through a safe artistic place. The energy and mission of the studio is what brought me to work there. I am part of the front desk team and I am in charge of social media. In our social media, I strive to post pictures of a wide variety of people and I create graphics that help bring awareness to what we do. We have programs for scholarships to help low-income prospective students take classes at our dance studio and we have community classes that are on a pay-what-you-can basis. This gives a wider variety of people the opportunity to engage in pole and aerial fitness and to build confidence.

I am dedicated to supporting and being a part of organizations that give BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth like myself a voice. I have learned tons from these experiences, as I continue my art journey. 

Recently, you’ve been producing and working as cinematographer for “The Astute Observations of Samuel J.R. Wellington.” Tell us about it! What has the project been like?

I have spent over 70+ hours putting my passion into this project. There are so many twists and turns to a production that I would not have expected. It’s difficult to manage and communicate with a variety of people to get things done, but we just wrapped our final shoot and I couldn’t be more proud of my team. I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world. The project included interviewing people for our crew, watching auditions, getting gear, securing locations, and more. We are on to post production work, and we accomplished so much filming, huge learning lessons, understanding what we can fix, and the things that we can’t fix. I got to work with my good friend Ruby Lee who I had met in 2021 in an internship with the Vera Project. The last thing I told her when the internship ended was that I hoped we would work together some day and we did! It feels amazing to be part of something that I put my all into and to know that one day, in the near future, we will watch the finished product. 

Besides the film, what is something you are currently excited about?

Currently, I am working on a podcast at TeenTix. It is a medium that I haven’t explored before, so I am extremely excited to see the endless possibilities. Additionally, I would like to explore what it takes to be a pole instructor and I plan to find an apprenticeship program that will allow me to learn more. Another part of my pole dance future is my goal to be a part of a competition. I am excited to train as best as I can and build strength and eventually compete someday! Lastly, I am excited to go to college to study filmmaking. College has been something so terrifying for me, yet it is also something that motivates me to learn more. Since I am passionate about filmmaking, I believe that going to film school will be very beneficial and will bring me a lot of happy experiences.

How can people support your work?

People can support my work by checking out my website, booking me for photography & video work, following me on my socials, and donating to my Paypal to help me fund new projects and go to college! Please reach out to me anytime! I love to hear words of wisdom and support. 

Website with short films & art I have created: xandrayugto.com

Socials & Paypal: @xandrayugto 

Is there any other project or anything else you would like to share?

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to share my work. I never thought I would be here and it makes me super emotional to think that I was even asked to be spotlighted for this. Thank you so much to everyone who reads this through and for the opportunities brought to me. I am infinitely grateful.

Thank you for sharing your many talents with us, Xandra. We’re eagerly awaiting your next moves! Check out her photography work below:

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LIT: Why I Came Back as a Class Assistant

Posted on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021 at 8:22 pm
Written by Arts Corps

 

I come from a high school that specializes in helping students to become self-reliant and learn skills through the student’s interests. This is often done by having students search for internships or be an apprentice. When I was a freshman in October of 2018 I had a vague interest in game development and was short on opportunities. 

One day my advisor Steve announced a new opportunity being offered to Big Picture Students. He told us it was an arts program that taught audio, story writing, and virtual reality development. That last one felt like a wild card. I didn’t know much about virtual reality beyond a few brief appearances in online videos or tucked away in some corner of an arcade. No matter where I saw it, it always seemed out of reach like watching an owl perched on a tree. The fact that it was offered to youth out of all people in this high school made it feel like a one-time calling. But because of my lack of experience, I hesitated to raise my hand when Steve was handing out the tour sign-up sheets. I’m not sure what took me so long to finally raise my hand, but it would change my life forever.

Arts Corps is an arts education organization whose mission is to break educational boundaries and allow youth creative minds to use their art to influence the world through various programs. I joined the first LIT program in January of 2019. LIT specialized in teaching students how to use audio software, film equipment, and virtual reality tools to make their art with the help of specialized teaching artists. It was the first year of the program so some things fell a little off track sometimes, but overall it felt like an artist’s journey. It felt like the program was growing alongside you making it; it felt less like a training course and more like it was your program. 

Each session, we’d have morning check-ins, and even though we didn’t always have much to say it helped establish great community vibes. I loved when we went into the larger parts of Seattle on our trips to art studios. Even though meeting people who work in the careers you see yourself in the future is always a motivating feeling, traversing the streets and buses made it feel like the kind of stories you’d tell your grandkids when talking about your career. I don’t get to be on foot in the bigger parts of Seattle that often so that’s what probably amplified the experience for me.

The first major VR project I worked on when joining LIT was a simple exploration experience where you could move across dream-like worlds, which is my way of saying nothing made sense or followed a theme. It was mostly me trying to get my footing with the technology but it helped that VR is totally badass.

The greatest memory I have of the program was the final presentation of my first year. I wasn’t too confident in my weird VR project. It was also a way later time to present than I was used to so I was ready to go to sleep. To make matters worse we had a lot of trouble getting our showcase equipment set up like finding out who’s headset even belonged to someone. We cycled through students each presenting what we’ve been working on for the past six months. 

When my turn came I felt a strange calmness and pride flow in. Suddenly my project didn’t seem like a failure and I started to see with the smiles of the attendees that it was a success. Whereas once, I was some lonely kid in a computer lab, now was able to work on something most people don’t even know exists. It helped that the presentation room was literally a theater, the whole thing felt like a triumphant cinematic moment on film with lights shining on us. 

I’m one of those people that beats themselves up a lot, but I always seek to improve myself. This was the first time in my life I felt like I’d made it. It started off a long chain of future successes and I realized that I could be an artist if I tried. Since then I’ve only felt my progress of self-discovery moving further.

Arts Corps has helped me find what being an artist can mean and the joy it can bring to people. They helped me get my first taste of what it’d be like to pursue my passions professionally. And it’s given me hope that more and more youth have access to their resources so the world doesn’t miss out on the creations of a young person’s mind before their creativity is limited through adulthood struggles. 

I feel the least I can do is help out Arts Corps the best I can as a classroom assistant so that when I eventually become ready to join the games industry I will have helped make the Arts Corps better for youth than when I first joined LIT. So now I’m helping the LIT team with an upcoming week-long intensive. From April 12th – 16th we’ll be helping students from grades 10-12 learn about using immersive technology for storytelling and game development. Applications are due March 19, 2021. Apply here. 

— FABIAN HERNANDEZ-ANGEL, Classroom Assistant LIT 2021

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I’m still learning with Arts Corps everyday

Posted on Thursday, December 28th, 2017 at 3:14 am
Written by Arts Corps

Image taken at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center Thursday, May 17, 2007 at Seattle.
Amy and Cham in the studio for Arts Corps’ All Access Music Production, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 2007

Amy Piñon is currently the Media & Communications Manager at Arts Corps – but she started her career as a student 10 years ago… and now she is on the RISE as an artist and community leader.

—

I wouldn’t know who I am without Arts Corps – speaking not just as a former student, but as a staff member, a teaching artist, and a person still growing into my fullest potential.

The first time I recorded my own song in a studio was here, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, when I was 16. I came to the studio to learn how to record my own music, and came away with even more – a newfound passion for audio engineering. The All Access program, which allowed high school students from around King County to come together to learn about music production was the official beginning of my arts career.

In fact, it was my only access to this kind of technical arts learning.  

It was not until years later when I was in college for audio engineering, thinking back on the initial experiences that led me to pursue audio, that I found out that All Access was an Arts Corps program, and that unfortunately All Access no longer existed. This was an important moment, because as I was struggling to find meaning in a white male dominated field, and navigating my options and prospects for succeeding in that world, I felt extremely stuck. Was audio production really the path for me? The answer was yes, of course, with a compromise. If I was going to finish school, I wasn’t going to follow the status quo. I didn’t see myself working in a studio; I saw myself… working with young people.

Amy crouching on the ground holding a camera, ready to take a photo
Amy documenting Summer ALLI, 2017

I was inspired and DETERMINED, to use my audio education to develop my own youth audio curriculum, which, to the unexpected delight of the entire audio department, became my senior portfolio project.

I came (back) to Arts Corps shortly after graduating, as an AmeriCorps Artist-in-Service, working on the pilot Seattle Creative Schools Initiative at Madrona K-8. It was a tumultuous and eye-opening year of learning about how social inequities are perpetuated within the school system and what it means to be a teaching artist.

As my term approached its end, and I nervously considered what I could do next, I was offered a position on staff as Documentation Coordinator. And over the past three years, that has shaped into my role here today, as Media & Communications Manager.

My favorite part about my role here is capturing the stories of young people in the programs. Whether that’s through a photograph of a high-energy performance, or a video showing a students’ process and progress throughout the course of a program, there is nothing that connects me more to the work than connecting with the young people themselves.

The first photos I took for Arts Corps were terrible. I really had no idea what I was doing, just that I was really passionate about doing it. So my photos became better. The videos I’ve produced are pieces that I’m super proud of. As I gradually taught myself and practiced my media artistry, I have proven to myself that by fostering a growth mindset, I can learn anything I’m passionate about pursuing, and that’s exactly the mindset I embrace with the young people I work with.

teachinglivesound
Amy Teaching live sound at The Vera Project with Rain City Rock Camp, 2015

Growing up at Arts Corps over the last four years, I’ve expanded my skills in audio engineering to other media industries and have accomplished so many other ventures in the creative world, which include producing and teaching an array of audio education programs for all ages, including Blanket Fort Films, Reel Grrls, RadioActive, Magnuson Park Radio, and The Vera Project, where I now serve as the Board President (aka Big Boss). I graduated from Teaching Artist Training Lab to solidify my curriculum development skills. I taught myself how to play the ukulele and then taught classes. I have continued to nurture my vocal sound and songwriting. I created the Womxn’s Creative Industries Meet Up which is a space for intergenerational resource-sharing between media makers, centered on young womxn of color.

As my path has taken many unexpected yet wonderful turns, there is no doubt that Arts Corps has been, and continues to be, the platform from which nearly all of my creative endeavors have originated. Arts Corps has not just been about accessing arts education, or any artistic skill in particular – it has been about building confidence in my leadership, gaining lifelong mentors, becoming part of a community, and realizing my creative power as a young person to adulthood – to come full circle as a student, teaching artist, staff member, and rising community leader.

And I’m still learning with Arts Corps everyday.

 

Amy Piñon (Amy Lp) is a multimedia artist and Media & Communications Manager at Arts Corps. You can catch her photos in many of Arts Corps’ publications, and her videos on Arts Corps’ Youtube channel.

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