Future Creators Youth Art Residency flyer.What happens when young artists are given more than a set of paints, a place to create, and an afternoon art class?

What if they also have professional artists to mentor them, access to Cleveland’s arts community, and an opportunity to see their work displayed in a public exhibit?

Those are the questions social worker and artist Cheryl Jenkins asked herself when developing the vision behind Future Creators Youth Art Residency—created for young artists in grades one through five.

The residency program is designed to nurture young artists through immersive, mentorship-based creative experiences that go beyond traditional art classes. The residency gives young artists the skills, confidence, and connections to see art as more than a hobby—and potentially as a career.

The Youth Art Residency begins on Dec. 19, when students visit 78th Street Studios. Student resident artists will be paired with professional artist mentors and participate in hands-on studio sessions where they’ll strengthen their artistic skills, explore their creativity, and develop a cohesive body of original artwork.

Those interested in applying for the residency can attend a free information session on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Community Arts Center.

Throughout the residency, students will receive guidance, encouragement, and insight from working artists while building confidence in their own creative voice.

Jenkins, who also founded Oh Taste and Be, an organization that connects art, culture, and youth programming, will launch Future Creators this month in partnership with the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA). The program will take place at the CMA’s Community Arts Center in the Pivot Center for Art, Dance, and Expression, 2937 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 44113.

Cleveland Museum of Art Open Studio.Building a community for young artists
The idea grew out of Jenkins' experience raising her now eight-year-old son, who began showing his artwork at 78th Street Studios when he was just four. Although he has participated in several creative opportunities around Cleveland, Jenkins noticed something was missing: a community of other children who shared his passion for art.

"He didn't have a community of his own," she says. "There were a lot of kids. They like to play, they like to run, they like to do all these other things, but we didn't have any kids that loved art the way he did."

While her son was attending summer camp at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Jenkins began talking with a member of the museum's youth programming team about her vision for an exhibit that would take young artists seriously and help them find their place in Cleveland's arts community.

That conversation eventually grew into Future Creators. Jenkins spent time assembling a team of professional artist mentors and community partners to create a program that goes beyond traditional art instruction.

"We want it to be seen as an elite program, because it is," she says. "The goal is not just to give kids an opportunity to build community, but it's really also we are attacking the starving artists stigma."

The inaugural group, which Jenkins calls the “Class of 2027,” will begin with approximately 10 students. The residency is free, including registration and art materials, and will introduce participants to a variety of artistic techniques and unconventional materials.

Mentorship beyond art class

The entrance to the Community Arts Center inside the The Pivot Center for Art, Dance and Expression.Jenkins sees the mentors as an important part of the experience. Artist Dayzwhun will be the program's connection to the creative and community aspects of the art world, while artist and educator Tanya Gonzalez brings her experience in education and working with young people, including mural programs. Additional artists will also be invited to share their expertise and introduce students to different mediums and techniques.

The residency begins Dec. 19 with a visit to 78th Street Studios, where students will explore professional artists' studios, meet working artists, and learn about the business of exhibiting and selling artwork. The visit coincides with the studios' final art walk of the year.

Students will see how professional artists present their work and learn about practical considerations such as pricing artwork. Jenkins says the goal is to give them an immersive introduction to the professional art world before they begin developing their own collections.

Formal mentoring sessions will take place at the Community Arts Center on designated Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., beginning in January. Students will work with mentors and explore different mediums and techniques.

Seeing Cleveland through young artists' eyes
The inaugural residency theme, "A City in Color: The Cleveland We See," will encourage students to explore their hometown and interpret it through their own eyes. Jenkins wants participants from different neighborhoods and backgrounds, so the resulting artwork will reflect a range of experiences and perspectives.

"I want to see the variety," she says. "I don't want to see it from one child's eye. I want to see it from all perspectives. What are we showing these kids? What do they see? What city have we presented to them to thrive in?"

Cleveland Museum of Art Open Studio.Turning artistic passion into a career
Jenkins says the opportunity to learn from professional artists is only part of the experience. She also wants student artists to understand the practical side of pursuing an artistic career—from developing a body of work and preparing an exhibit to pricing artwork and finding buyers.

The residency will culminate in a public exhibit on April 10, 2027, where students will present their completed collections in a formal setting.

Although artwork will not be sold directly through the Community Arts Center or the Cleveland Museum of Art, visitors interested in purchasing pieces will be able to request information through a QR code.

A separate event planned for May will provide an opportunity for the young artists to market their work.

"We want these kids to make some money," Jenkins says. "We want them to understand the business of it, so they don't have to grow up to be starving artists. They can really look at their passion as a viable career path."

Planting the seeds
Jenkins, a licensed social worker, founded Oh Taste and Be around a broader vision of connecting families with educational, creative, and mental health resources. Future Creators is one initiative under that umbrella. Her long-term goal is to establish a center where families can access those services.

Cleveland Museum of Art's Teen Portfolio project.She sees the residency as an investment in both the children and Cleveland's creative future. Beyond developing individual artists, she hopes the program will help build a city that recognizes, nurtures, and supports young creative talent from an early age.

"We want Cleveland to be put on the map as a city that nurtures their artists, a city that actually cares about art and really takes it seriously," she says.

And she hopes the experience will have the same effect on other children that her son's first exhibit had on him.

"When my son did his first show at 78th Street Studios, there was a switch. He knew that, oh, I can really do this."

That's the spark she hopes Future Creators will ignite in its inaugural class—and in the generations of young Cleveland artists who follow.

Learn more and register: Families interested in the Future Creators Youth Art Residency can attend the free information session this Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Community Arts Center, 2937 W. 25th St. Advance registration is requested through Eventbrite. Learn more about Oh Taste and Be.