Chicago’s Year of Creative Youth Presents Emerging Chicago Artistic Talent Saturday, September 22
YAS!, Chicago’s new CREATIVE YOUTH FESTIVAL will showcase thousands of young artists on display across Millennium Park in a free daylong festival. Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events have designated 2018 as the Year of Creative Youth – a citywide celebration of Chicago’s young artists and the mentors who inspire them. The Year of Creative Youth showcase event will be the first Creative Youth Festival. The festival will include dozens of free cultural events across the Millennium Park Campus and the Chicago Cultural Center.
Showcasing thousands of young artists in dance, theater, music, spoken word, the visual arts and more, the Creative Youth Festival will include: youth performances, art exhibitions, interactive mural painting, an open mic with DJs, and family friendly, hands-on activities featuring artmaking, multimedia demonstrations and more. Additionally, the Chicago Park District is bringing “Teens in the Park’s” annual T.I.P. Fest to the festival in a special collaboration featuring youth winners from auditions taking place across Chicago parks all summer long. The day will conclude with a headlining concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, featuring Chicago native Ravyn Lenae and Desiigner.
When: Saturday, September 22
10am – 7pm Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington Street)
- 12 – 4pm: Year of Creative Youth Exhibitions Meet and Greet
- 1 – 3pm: Meet an Artist: Indira Johnson, creating Rangoli Art
11am – 3pm Art Institute of Chicago (111 S. Michigan Ave)
Teen artmaking and exhibits in the Modern Wing featuring a Street Level live podcast, Young Chicago Authors performance + open mic
*Museum Admission is FREE for all teens during YAS! Fest
11am – 4pm Maggie Daley Park (337 E. Randolph Street)
Activities at OUT OF SIGHT public art installation and roving creatures by Eda Yorulmazoglu
- 3pm: CircEsteem performance
11am – 7pm YAS! Fest Schedule
11am at Jay Pritzker Pavilion
- 11am: WFMT live broadcast with Chicago Children’s Choir and Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra
11am – 4p.m. YAS Stage at Wrigley Stage
- 11am - YOUmedia performances by Lats, Lil Cheekbone and NLBMARVO
- 11:30am - Guitars Over Guns
- 12pm - The Second City
- 12:30pm - Beverly Arts Center Dance Program
- 1pm - Dancing With Class
- 1:30pm - Merit School of Music
- 2pm - The People’s Music School
- 2:30pm - Mariachi Arts and Culture Academy
- 3pm - After School Matters Les Enfants Dance
- 3:30pm - Bandwith Chicago
- 4pm - Storycatchers Theatre
11am – 4pm YAS! Lounge at Chase Promenade North
- 11am: DJ TEZ and DJ 1 Solo of Free Write Sound & Vision
- 12pm: CineYouth Film Screenings
- 1pm: YAS! Chat: 2018 National YoungArts Foundation Winner Freedom Martin
- 2pm: YAS! Chat: 2018 National Young Poet Laureate Patricia Frazier
- 2:30pm: CineYouth Film Screenings
- 3pm: YAS! Panel with the cast of Comedy Central’s “South Side”
11am – 4pm Performances and Activations at Cloud Gate Plaza featuring
Ballet Chicago, ChiArts, Intonation Music, Jazz Institute of Chicag, MCA Chicago, and Red Clay Dance
11am – 4pm Mural Painting and Art Activations on the Great Lawn
11am – 1pm Sun Print workshop with Kioto Aoki & Jan Ticky for CPS Lives at Lurie Garde
1 – 4pm TIP Fest at Chase Promenade South
- 1pm: Marie The DJ and DJ Bman
- 2pm: Dance Preformances
- 3pm: TIP Fest Year of Creative Youth Audition Winners
- 3:30pm: Frsh Waters of PIVOT, Joseph Chilliams of PIVOT, MFN Melo of PIVOT, Squeak Pivot of PIVOT
- 4 – 7:30pm YAS! Fest Finale (Jay Pritzker Pavilion)
- 4pm: DJ Mike P
- 4:30pm: Little Kids Rock
- 4:50pm: Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theatre
- 5:10pm: Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center
- 5:50pm: Ravyn Lenae
- 6:40pm: Desiigner
