Our Mission
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 Impact Wall
See our impact in action. These metrics capture the scope and reach of our educational initiatives and community programs.
Project Create Spotlight
Khadija Jahmila
From childhood potions to hand-cut collages, Khadija Jahmila has always loved turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.
An Afro-Caribbean mixed-media artist, Khadija draws inspiration from folklore, family history, and everyday treasures. After joining Project Create as a Teaching Artist in 2025, she became our Community Partnerships Program Manager in September 2026, helping bring creative opportunities to young people and families.
What does she love most about working with kids? Their fearless imagination!
"They just want the scissors and the chance to make something, not steps one through twenty."
Outside the studio, Khadija is a mom, avid thrifter, and adventurous vegan cook who dreams of exploring the world through food: Anthony Bourdain style, with a vegan twist!