September 22nd, 2026
Opening Oct. 16, “Club Creatives” features young artists from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale who engaged with contemporary art through a series of meaningful workshops.
CAPTION: Scottsdale Arts will open “Club Creatives” at the Center Space gallery inside Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 16.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Opening Oct. 16, “Club Creatives” features young artists from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale who engaged with contemporary art through a series of meaningful workshops.
Organized by Taylor Samuels, community engagement coordinator for Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, the exhibition highlights a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale (BGCGS) that has served youth participants for more than a decade.
Club Creatives is an after-school arts program that provides high-quality art workshops and museum experiences for youth organizations. Led by professional teaching artists, participants explore a wide range of artistic techniques, experiment with new materials and discover their own innovative voices through hands-on learning.
“I think it's important to have guidance,” Samuels said. “A lot of things at the Boys & Girls Clubs are full-cycle. Oftentimes they'll enter at a young age and stay through their teenage years, and they'll then go on to be great adults. Hopefully this program can guide and inspire them to see what their futures can look like.”
The artwork featured in "Club Creatives" is a collaborative showcase featuring artwork by teens from the Hartley & Ruth Barker Branch and the Vestar Branch of BGCGS. Throughout a two-week summer arts camp, participants engaged in artist-led workshops that emphasized imaginative exploration, civic engagement through the arts and leadership development.
Each artwork reflects the individual interests, ideas, and vision of its artist. With guidance from professional teaching artists, students explored new techniques and learned how to bring their ideas to life. Together, these pieces celebrate the innovation, collaboration and unique perspectives of the young artists.
“Being an artist means expressing myself through a variety of art mediums,” said Elizabeth Ramirez Jimenez, a participating Boys & Girls Clubs member. "My emotions, along with my appreciation for our ecosystems and wildlife, inspire my artwork. This camp has allowed me to grow my love for art, meet new artists and work with my classmates."
Another club member, Katelyn Gifford, shared how the artwork she created during the program is inspired by her emotions and experiences with her body.
"Creating art allows me to express myself and be my own muse,” she said. “I hope my work encourages others to embrace self-expression and become their own muse.”
Through this exhibition, Samuels was delighted to see how much the students learned and connected with the teaching artists. The students came into the program knowing what they wanted to produce, and with the help of artists like Kelsey Phillips, Li Rothrock, Victoria Wanjuhi, and Robert Esler and Lisa Tolentino of UrbanSTEW, they were able to generate the artwork that will be shown in "Club Creatives."
"I'm excited for the students to be celebrated," Samuels said. "I think it's a wonderful thing to have a space to exhibit their artwork and for the students to showcase their hard work. It'll be such a positive way to end this program, and I hope they'll want to do it again."
A public reception for “Club Creatives” will be held on Friday, Oct. 16, at 4 p.m. Visitors can also see the exhibition in the Center Space gallery from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays, from Oct. 16, 2026, through Jan. 10, 2027. The center is closed on Mondays. For more information, visit ScottsdaleArts.org.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Ritter | SydneyR@ScottsdaleArts.org | 480-874-4663