About the Program

From observation to creation

I/magine is a five-part residency where students evolve from arts spectators to art-makers driven to use their artistry for community impact. This year, the program was held at Humanities Preparatory Academy in Chelsea, NYC working alongside 50 high school students. Led by a team of Arts Ignite Teaching Artists, this ongoing long-term engagement in both artistry and community guides young people into deeper, more complex ways of seeing and thinking about the world.

Changing communities through the arts

I/magine supports students in creating and maintaining interpersonal relationships with those who may possess differing viewpoints and communication patterns. It also teaches them how to develop their self-definition through artistic expression. Each I/magine residency culminates in a final project devised by participants at the intersection of the arts and their community. To learn more about bringing the I/magine program to your school, please reach out to our team via the contact link below.  

I/magine: Our Arts Ignite Approach

The inaugural program focused on five areas of exploration:

• I/create – Students were invited to explore who they are through art. They were then warmed into the idea of expression: it is fun, it is exciting, it is creative?
• I/speak – After they explored ideas of expression and creation, students explored their own stories and understood they were worthy of speaking and being heard.
• I/connect – Students were invited to explore different avenues of communication. Oftentimes, we didn’t share a common language, mode of expression, or perspective on life.
• I/collaborate – Students worked together to build a community inside their classroom/cohort/workshop space and built a greater group project or art piece.
• I/magine – Students were invited to pair art with community action by seeing themselves as cornerstones of their communities.