Young Artists' Studio (YAS) is an art school for all ages offering a variety of art programs year-round. Now on its 6th year of teaching art in key cities of Metro Manila, YAS has three basic programs --- SUMMER ART PROGRAM, YEAR-ROUND ART MASTERY PROGRAM (AFTER-SCHOOL ART CLASSES), ENRICHMENT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOLS AND COMPANIES. These programs include classes in different art forms that students can choose from (Art for Beginners, Painting, Drawing, Digital Art, Fashion Design & Illustration, Zentangles, Sculpture, Printmaking, Comics Illustration, Animation, and Handmadeology, and more). These classes are designed and conducted with the following objectives.

 

1. To impart technical and historical art education using student-specific approaches to all aspiring artists from all age groups (merging fine arts technique and basic art history, teaching academic-based curriculum in a non-academic setting);

2. To provide avenues for creative growth of aspiring artists such as exposure to art events and institutions, interaction with art practitioners;

3. To form a community of young artists sharing the love and dedication for art and its relationship with our society

4. To instill life values to young artists in order to encourage their development into creative, responsible, socially aware and dedicated critical thinkers of the future.

 

 

Institutional Background: How YAS Started

 

  Creativity is intelligence having fun.” - Albert Einstein  

Young Artists' Studio started with imagining a culture of creativity in an environment where ideas are respected and encouraged to be visualized into tangible art objects. We still remember it as an afternoon of imagining as guided by these questions:

- Are we all artists?

- How can we tap creativity of different individuals in a single approach?

- Should art simply be a summer thing? How much dedication should be given to art?

- How essential is art to people's lives?

- What kind of learning and teaching method can develop the individuality of aspiring artists while equipping them with universal and technical knowledge?

 

The result of this imagination is knowing that the gift of art is inherent in individuals in different forms and capacities. To realize this gift proves to have great effects in an individual's success, provided that the approach taps into the strengths and knowledge of each learner. As a major component in holistic human development, a sustainable profession and a catalyst for social transformation, art is a powerful tool to influence communities, improve lives, maximize individualities and transform the society. Since its establishment in 2009, YAS has mentored over 1,500 aspiring artists from a mix of different age groups, from toddlers to young kids (4-1- y/o), teens and adults.

 

 

Teaching Philosophy:

Simply put, our teaching philosophy is student-oriented. We ensure that our students are getting maximum learning progress based on their individual processes, personal interests and strengths. We give our students carefully selected exercises with attention to their levels of skill, coupled with available guidance to help them render their vision while giving them enough space for going after their personal identity and preference as artists.

 

Competencies:

We are proud to maintain and continuously improve in our existing strengths. Tagged as the Five Ps of YAS, our strong areas are our Program, People, Practice, Partnerships and Passion.  Since our establishment in 2009, our students and their parents frequently affirm our Five Ps as they continue to register in our programs the whole year.

 

Program. We recognize that each individual is unique. We constantly review and revise our program curricula depending on class composition as we try to subjectivize even our group classes.  Our students undergo a diagnostic exercise prior to workshop proper to help us identify their priority areas for improvement and also their own learning processes.

 

People. YAS network of teachers are also key in successful art education. We are confident that our artists-teachers share our vision and professionalism. Artists-teachers, even if they are well-experienced in their fields, still undergo trainings prior to handling a class in order to ensure quality teaching with the right tools and to set the ground for a healthy relationship with students.

 

Partnerships.  We maintain three types of partnerships: partnership with our student, partnership with our students’ parents or guardians, and partnerships with institutions who share or complement our vision. We highlight our relationship with our students as partnerships and not student-mentor type because we want them to remember that they too will be our colleagues in the future and therefore will become our partners in promoting art-based advocacies. The parents and guardians are also our partners as we both share observations on the learning progress, behavior and even “dreams” of the students. Institutional linkages help us fulfill our vision and mission. Institutional linkages in the past involved groups like CreatingSpace Inc., Pedxing Media, institutions and companies like LandBank of the Philippines, University of the Philippines Vargas Museum, Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College- Marikina, Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, Total Girl Magazine, Philippine Primer, UNTV, Smart Parenting Magazine, Pedia House Preschool, St. Joseph College of Novaliches, Baduk Jusan Academy, British School Manila, Jollibee Corporation, Nestle, L'Oreal Paris, Sound Therapy Learning Center, Keys Grade School, Fundacion Sanso, Filinvest, Fully Booked The Fort, Fully Booked Alabang, AA Total Achievers Learning Center, Happy Tykes Preschool, Hello Munchkins Play Café and I-Lab Learning Center. 

 

Passion. People in YAS are the most passionate people in terms of art and advocacy. With the passion that YAS artists-teachers, teaching assistants and administrators share, that passion inevitably exponentiates with the growing number of students and networks.

 

Practice. Aside from art techniques and skills, we also teach our students the essential qualities that artists should have which are criticality, dynamism, resourcefulness and willingness to share their talents. We make sure that we let our students experience the whole process of art from production, exhibition and even transacting with patrons. We regularly hold exhibits in both mainstream and alternative art spaces to make our students acquainted with the ‘Art World’. Since YAS artists-teachers are also practitioners, they are able to share their personal experiences in the art world via their personal projects. Here are the past students' exhibitions showcasing the masterpieces of our young artists.