Sitar Arts Center helps young artists launch creative careers
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Do you like to draw but don’t know how that could translate into a career? D.C.’s Sitar Arts Center has a year-long program that pays you while you study to become a creative professional.
Sitar has provided arts training to D.C. area youth for the last three decades as a longtime fixture in the once predominantly Latino neighborhood, Adams Morgan. Its upcoming ArtsAdvance: Career Studios program aims to launch more local youth into graphic, web and user-experience (UX) design and entry-level animation careers.
To be considered, you must be between 18 to 24 years old and show an aptitude for drawing. If selected, the part-time in-person program comes with a stipend during nine months of training followed by a 10-week summer internship. The application deadline is coming up soon – on July 30.
We interviewed Kristina Friedgen, Sitar’s director of innovation and engagement. Read more about who is eligible and what the program offers in our interview with Friedgen below.
Can you tell us a little about the Sitar Arts Center, its mission and history?
Sitar Arts Center engages D.C. youth, from early childhood to young adulthood, in building a creative community of learning and belonging that removes financial and cultural barriers to arts education and career training.
In 2000, Sitar Arts Center first opened its doors to 50 children studying instrumental music in the small basement of a subsidized-housing apartment building in D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood in Ward 1. Today, up to 900 students a year explore the visual, performing and digital arts in our beautiful 12,700-square-foot facility designed for optimal arts education. Sitar Arts Center remains firmly rooted in its vision that every child deserves a high-quality arts education, and 80% of students come from households experiencing low income. Students now come to Sitar from every Ward in D.C.
In 2012, Sitar expanded its arts education programming to include summer workforce development training for teens in partnership with the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. In 2022, Sitar Arts Center became the D.C. home of the Bloomberg Arts Internship, which provides well-paid summer internships at local arts and culture organizations and college and career readiness training to rising high school juniors. This fall, Sitar will pilot ArtsAdvance: Career Studios to continue supporting young adults seeking alternative pathways to careers in the arts.
How did the ArtsAdvance program get started? Please tell us more about it and the Career Studios initiative.
Sitar Arts Center has grown along with its students. Prior to the pandemic, we heard from many young adults who had grown up at Sitar that they needed more from us as they developed into working professionals. Many young people in our community face challenges as they transition out of high school. While many of our students thrive in a college environment, others have found that it is not the best fit for them for many reasons, including accessibility and affordability.
To bridge this divide, Sitar Arts Center will launch ArtsAdvance: Career Studios in September 2023. In this year-long pilot, 18 to 24-year-olds will earn a wage while training for careers in graphic design, web design and UX design. Sitar decided to pilot this program with these fields because of the projected growth in these industries and known student interest.
What can ArtsAdvance: Career Studios mean to the professional future of the young people who complete the program?
Participants from historically underinvested communities will train for jobs in the creative industries that have the potential to propel them into middle and high-income careers, which were previously difficult to access due to low exposure and limited resources. While they train for these jobs, apprentices will earn a wage, become connected with industry professionals connected to AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) and their professional association for design, develop a portfolio based on real client projects, earn Adobe Professional Certification and other micro-credentials that can stack toward certifications.
The young adults who complete this program will not only develop the necessary hard and soft skills to land and keep a job but will be eligible for placement in an internship related to graphic, web and/or UX design during the summer after their training. The multiple opportunities to connect with industry professionals, work with clients and develop required job-seeking materials in a safe and supportive environment may just change the trajectory of our apprentices’ lives.
Is ArtsAdvance: Career Studios only for D.C. residents?
At this time, ArtsAdvance is open to residents of the District, Maryland and Virginia.
What skills can young people gain in this program?
So many! Apprentices will take a range of classes covering the intersection of the arts and technology, such as digital drawing, character and concept design, typography, branding, video design, animation, social media and marketing, to name a few. All apprentices will train in Design Thinking, a people-centered approach to creative problem-solving in design. In addition to this hard skill training, apprentices will develop their soft skills in communication, collaboration, time management, professional decorum, self-advocacy, navigating imposter syndrome, intergenerational collaboration and much more. Through a partnership with The Opportunity Network, Sitar will also provide financial literacy training to ensure that apprentices have the knowledge they need to take control of their financial futures.
What careers are available for those looking to learn animation?
The animation segment of the program will introduce apprentices to some of the entry-level work at the cross-section of animation and game design. Apprentices will train for roles in character or concept design, graphic effects and 3D modeling.
What type of skills, if any, do you need to have before joining the ArtsAdvance: Career Studios?
Applicants need to demonstrate an aptitude for visual art, particularly drawing. We are assessing this either through work samples or images of work provided by applicants in their interview or through a drawing assessment we administer at the interview if the applicant does not have sample work they can share.
Beyond that, we look for individuals who are interested in pursuing a creative career, and we are particularly interested in applicants who have experienced obstacles pursuing traditional pathways to creative employment.
Does this program guarantee a job?
While we cannot guarantee a job after completing the program at this time, Sitar is actively cultivating employer partnerships for internship and job placement.
Apprentices who are eligible to work in the United States, complete their Adobe Certifications, and maintain 90% attendance during the program will be placed in an internship during the Summer of 2024. While apprentices who complete the program will no longer be paid employees of Sitar, they will still have free access to educational workshops and job placement support. Sitar is committed to helping apprentices find creative employment.
Why should a young person apply to this program?
If you’re a young adult who longs to find meaningful employment that integrates your artistic passion and creativity, then you should apply. ArtsAdvance will not only train you to use your artistic talents to design jobs that cross many employment sectors, but it will also connect you to the networks of people and industries that can help you find a great job.
In one word, how would you describe a person who completes this program? And why?
Eager.
The apprentices I envision completing this program have a passion and a drive that keeps them curious, so they are eager to keep learning and improving in this ever-changing technological landscape. They have experienced obstacles to pursuing a creative job or never imagined it could be possible, so they are eager to make the most out of the experience.
To find out more about the program, visit Sitar Arts Center’s website.
*This story has been lightly edited for clarity and concision.
– Story by Gloria Osorio
– Edited by Rafaella Mufarech
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