ST. LOUIS – St. Louis ArtWorks is excitedly preparing for the upcoming Holiday Sale! Sixty youth Apprentices between the ages of 14 and 18 have been working under professional Teaching Artists in disciplines including Batik Textiles, Printmaking, Poetry, Robotics, and Video Documentary. Friends, family, and supporters of all ages are invited to this public sale and celebration on Saturday, December 9th from 11:00am to 2:00pm at St. Louis ArtWorks on 5959 Delmar Blvd. in the East Loop to view and purchase the incredible artwork the Apprentices have created. Performances and documentary viewing will be at 11:30am and 1:30pm.

“I’m very proud of these hard-working young people,” touts Byron Rogers, Program Manager. “Many of these Apprentices have been learning disciplines that are brand new to them, and they’ve approached these projects with positive attitudes and professionalism. I’m particularly excited to see the display from the Batik Textiles group and to hear the Spoken Word Poetry performance.”

In the Batik Textiles program, Apprentices have been busy creating a variety of home goods from brightly colored hand-dyed textiles including placemats, table runners, and accessories. Apprentices in the Printmaking group have been learning about Cartography as they incorporate elements of map making into their detailed prints. The Poetry group will be presenting their pieces in a Spoken Word performance that will take place multiple times throughout the event. In the innovative Robotics program, Apprentices have been learning about how technology connects with art as they create designs with circuits and LED components. Apprentices in the Video Documentary group have been interviewing artists and activists for their documentary film about Social Change Through Art. The documentary will be shown in the Emerson Media Lab throughout the Holiday Sale.

Attendees at the sale are invited to tour the facility at St. Louis ArtWorks which is used for fundraising events, private parties, and community engagements in addition to the Arts Apprentice Program. This open house event is the perfect chance to see where these works of art are brought to life.

For those looking to apply for the Spring Apprentice Program, the application is available online at stlartworks.org/apply. Applicants must be between the ages of 14 and 18, and live in the St. Louis region. The deadline to apply for the Spring Program is December 15th.

St. Louis ArtWorks was founded in 1995 as a collaborative partnership with Grand Center Inc., the City of St. Louis, and the Regional Arts Commission. Since that time, ArtWorks has provided opportunities for thousands of young people, successfully helping to prepare them for future education and employment opportunities. ArtWorks bridges economic, racial, and social divisions by providing underserved youth with arts education, workforce development training, and 21st century life skills, including fiscal literacy and professional communication. St. Louis ArtWorks is funded in part by the Arts and Education Council with support from the Regional Arts Commission. Additional funding has been provided in part by America’s Central Port, Ameren Missouri, Artmart, Centene Corporation, the Clark Fox Family Foundation, Commerce Bank, the City of St. Louis Community Development Administration, St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund, Emerson, Employees Community Fund of Boeing, the William A. Kerr Foundation, Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, Mastercard, McCormack Baron Salazar, Metropolitan Sewer District, Missouri American Water, Missouri Arts Council, the John and Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation, the Joseph H. & Florence A. Roblee Foundation, Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis ReCAST, the Trio Foundation, Wells Fargo Advisors, and the Windgate Foundation.

For more information on St. Louis ArtWorks and its community partners, please visit ArtWorks on Facebook and Twitter. @STLArtWorks #MakeArtWorkSTL

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