VA Students Attend What's Going On...NOW Youth Summit in Washington DC

This week Venice Arts Advanced Studies students Chris & Jocelyn travelled to Washington, DC, with our Art Mentoring Program Manager, Cathy, to attend the Kennedy Center's What's Going On...NOW Youth Summit. The four-day summit gathers with representatives from Washington, D.C. and seven youth groups around the country. Jocelyn & Chris are touring sites at the nation's capital, convening with peers from other youth media arts organizations around the country, and screening their films at a showcase at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. The celebration will culminate with a concert by John Legend, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, and the National Symphony Orchestra, coming together to reimagine Gaye’s performance in an evening-length concert. We are so excited that our students have this amazing opportunity to explore, learn, and share their work! 

Using Marvin Gaye’s music as a catalyst, the Kennedy Center’s campaign asks: “How have things changed in the last 40 years? What’s going on…now?” Young people can go to www.whatsgoingonnow.org and share their own creative perspectives on the similarities and differences between Marvin Gaye's “then” and their own “now.” They can upload video, photos, poems, music - whatever art form inspires their own creative expression. Several videos by Venice Arts students have been shared on the site. 

Check out these galleries of work by Jocelyn and Chris, featuring their films that will be screened at the Kennedy Center.