Growing Pearls:
Celebrating 30 Years of
Youth Empowerment
through Art
Growing Pearls:
Celebrating 30 Years of
Youth Empowerment
through Art
For 30 years in Washington, DC, Project Create has provided opportunities for creative youth development through accessible, multidisciplinary arts education to empower young people and amplify their voices. We collaborate with children, youth, and families in an inclusive and supportive community where art is healing and transformative.
Project Create students participate in free out-of-school-time art classes, art therapy groups, workshops, open studio time, field trips, and exhibition and performance opportunities, both at our own arts center in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC, as well as at community partner sites in underserved District neighborhoods.
Our Programs
Studio Programs at the Arts Center
Project Create’s custom-designed Arts Center is equipped to host a wide range of art classes in all disciplines, family workshops, open studio time, film screenings, gallery shows and arts enrichment opportunities for all ages and experience levels. All classes are free!
Community Partnership Programs
Project Create’s longest-standing program includes weekly multidisciplinary arts education classes taught by experienced teaching artists in partnership with community-based organizations that provide services to children, youth and families in underserved communities.
HeART Space
Art Therapy
Project Create HeART Space groups focus on building coping mechanisms, increasing emotional wellness, decreasing anxiety, and building resilience, using creative techniques such as drawing, painting, collage, coloring, and sculpting to move towards personal well-being and healing.
Family Art Day
Project Create’s beloved Family Art Day program offers an opportunity for local families to engage in artistic exploration, art-making and creative play. At our free Saturday workshops, Project Create serves multi-generational families, all of whom enjoy the chance to create art in community.
Workshops
Project Create loves hosting arts workshops, whether at our Arts Center or out in the community. Our brilliant teaching artists share their talent and experience in a variety of artistic disciplines, and our students enjoy learning new creative skills, like 3-D printing, mural-making, poetry, and fashion!
Professional Development
Project Create leads staff members through creative, engaging professional development opportunities at your place or ours! Our staff training can: facilitate bonding and collaboration; improve skills and increase knowledge; and offer fun activities in a creative, therapeutic environment.
Project Create Spotlight
Jasmine Watkins
Meet Jasmine Watkins, a cellist with a passion for multidisciplinary storytelling and a love for creativity. Growing up in a musical family, Jasmine was surrounded by art from an early age and started playing the cello in middle school. She’s classically-trained, but loves to experiment with extended techniques, making her performances truly unique.
Her sense of curiosity motivates her to share her art with children, recognizing the importance of arts education in nurturing their identity and purpose.
In her free time, Jasmine loves to game, play with her dog, Charlie, and spend quality time with her family. Because of her love for music, she hopes to one day visit South Korea to experience the vibrant culture of k-pop. As she navigates her career path, Jasmine hopes to be a leader in the field of arts management, working at the intersection of the politics that surround arts education and educational inequality through academic writing and public intellectual work.
With her unique blend of creativity, curiosity, and musicality, Jasmine is an artist who is sure to inspire! We’re so happy she’s joined the Project Create team.