Calling All Youth Creatives: Amplify’s Illuminate Wants You!

It’s one thing to quietly learn an art form in the safety of a classroom setting, but it’s quite another to take what you’ve learned and share your art with your others.

“Illuminate is really about providing a platform for the work of young artists and sharing it with the community,” explains Kathleen Bell, Community Cultural Coordinator and Amplify’s City Liaison. “It’s truly incredible what these youth are capable of and Illuminate is a way of celebrating that skill, talent and ingenuity.”

Amplify, the City’s youth arts development program, is set to present their 8th annual Illuminate on July 5 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.—a vibrant evening of art, activities and performance that shines a spotlight on St. Albert's young, local talent. Currently, the Amplify Committee—the youth-led organizing committee behind the programming—is recruiting artists to participate in a cross-section of artforms including, visual artists, photographers, musicians, filmmakers and poets.

“We are looking for visual artists to help us create a ribbon of colour along the trail, as well as join the art battle, which is a live painting display that is a way for non-artists to truly appreciate what goes into creating a work of art,” says Bell. “We are also on the hunt for singer-songwriters to perform on our acoustic stage, photographers for our photo exhibition and poets to share their writing during the Illuminate poetry hour.”

New this year is the call for filmmakers. “Every year the Amplify Committee thinks about what other artforms we could highlight and this year they wanted to encourage young filmmakers to present their work. It can be anything from a 30-second non-narrative short to animation to a music video—as long as we can project it onto a screen.”

Artists in Grade seven to age 21 are encouraged to apply. And while Bell acknowledges presenting your work can be a nerve-wracking experience, she assures those considering applying that Illuminate is a warm and supportive environment.

“We have wonderfully creative young residents in St. Albert and our goal is to ‘illuminate’ that fact,” says Bell. “If you’re a youth sitting on the fence about applying, I suggest just going for it! Your art is a gift, and we’d love for you to share it with our community.”

Illuminate will take place along the river behind St. Albert Place (5 St. Anne Street). For more information and to apply, head to stalbert.ca/exp/amplify/take-part

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