Smack Mellon Art Ready Program, free if admitted, NYC public high school students grades 10-12

About Art Ready Smack Mellon’s Art Ready program connects high school aged artists in 10th to 12th grades with New York City’s most innovative and inspiring cultural makers. The program is open to students attending New York City public high schools. Art Ready operates during the school year and includes a series of studio visits with emerging and established artists; a series of field trips to museums and galleries; a portfolio prep workshop; and a 15-week arts mentorship which culminates in an exhibition of student work. Art Ready connects up to twenty-one high school students with seven diverse artists, to gain practical experience working with professionals in a variety of artistic disciplines. There is no fee to participate, and all expenses are paid. Art Ready engages young people in a way no other arts education program does. It pairs students directly with working artists; the students learn firsthand over the course of a school year what it is to be an artist. Working as mentors, the artists provide professional and creative guidance as the students make decisions about their futures in the arts. Mentor/teaching artists tutor the students in their creative process, introduce them to new ways of working, and engage them in continuous critical reflection. The Program Art Ready meetings take place Wednesday afternoons from 4:00-6:30pm, October 21, 2026 through June 2, 2027. From October 2026-January 2027, students are introduced to all of our Artist Mentors through studio visits. Art Ready visits artists in the fields of photography, film, drawing, sculpture, textile art, web & fashion design, public art, and architecture. After the group has visited all the artists, each student chooses an Artist Mentor to work with from January 27th to May 26th, 2027. Students work on average 2.5 hours/week and attend their mentorships in small groups. During the mentorship period, students may also meet as a group for gallery and museum trips. The Art Ready Final Exhibition will take place on Wednesday June 2nd, 2027. The show will remain on view through Sunday June 6th, 2027. Please contact Maryam Chadury at 718.834.8761 or mchadury@smackmellon.org with any questions.