Eastwood Alumna Visits White House to Receive Prestigious Award
Jessica Flores and UH curator of education accept “Coming Up Taller” award for YAAP
Eastwood Academy alumna Jessica Flores and Blaffer Gallery Curator of Education Katherine Veneman met and shook hands with First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House on November 4, 2009, as they accepted the Coming Up Taller award on behalf of the Young Artist Apprenticeship Program (YAAP).
Every year, the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities recognizes 15 outstanding after-school arts and humanities programs nationwide that provide young people with learning opportunities and the ability to contribute to their community.
YAAP was chosen from a pool of 420 participants and was the only program in Texas to be named a finalist this year.
YAAP, organized by the Blaffer Gallery at the Art Museum of the University of Houston, is a six-week art-making workshop for teenagers from HISD schools, like Stephen F. Austin High School. It provides Houston-area teenagers with an after-school program that fosters creativity, independent thinking, and a spirit of collaboration.
“Whether or not the teenagers choose art as their ultimate career path, the Young Artist Apprenticeship Program exposes students to the intense level of dedication required of higher education and encourages them to contemplate their educational destinies,” said Blaffer Gallery’s Director and Chief Curator Claudia Schmuckli. “Recognition from the White House confirms the success of YAAP, and we are proud that a program so valued by our community has been honored as one of the top programs in the nation.”
Despite the obstacles that students faced in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, YAAP participants successfully carried out the program and focused on overcoming adversity as a team in September 2008. Flores, who is currently a freshman at Texas A&M, was one of the students who participated in the YAAP program during Hurricane Ike and whose work was exhibited at the museum.
“I am truly grateful for the invaluable experience I acquired from taking part in the Young Artists Apprenticeship Program,” said Flores. “In addition to expanding my artistic creativity, I honed my leadership abilities and learned the value of collaboration in the face of misfortune, all skills that will serve me well during college and beyond.”
A celebration for the Coming Up Taller award will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 6, at the Blaffer Gallery, The Art Museum of the University of Houston (120 Fine Arts Building, 77204).