The Orange County Arts Commission, under the guidance and leadership of artist and arts therapist Natalia Torres del Valle, has created the Teen Arts Collective: LGBTQIA+ to offer local teens a safe space in which to express themselves.
The group offers bi-monthly lessons for LGBTQ+-identifying teens where members produce art at the Eno Arts Mill in Hillsborough. Meetings cost $25 per session and are offered for teens between the age of 13-18; the group’s first meeting was held last month.
“The main goal of [the Teen Arts Collective: LGBTQIA+] is to create a safe space where teens can be completely themselves and connect with others who may be going through similar experiences,” Torres del Valle said.
Each session typically begins with a warm-up activity to help connect the group members.
“We normally start our sessions with a simple grounding activity,” Torres del Valle said. “For example, a few weeks ago I asked the teens to bring a gift that was meaningful to them to share.”
The group then focuses upon open-ended art making, where members create art with materials provided by Torres del Valle. The art making is at times centered on a theme, but teens are encouraged to express the theme in the medium they desire. Meetings typically conclude with members discussing their artwork.
In the sessions, the group addresses the issues many LGBTQ+ members face.
“[LGBTQ+] issues naturally come up in conversation, and the art lends another voice to express struggles teens face in their communities,” Torres del Valle said. “At times, we do not always have the words to express what we are feeling internally. Art allows us to express ourselves when we do not have the words to.”
Chapel Hill High School QSA president Grace Davis believes more groups like the Teen Arts Collective: LGBTQIA+ should be offered in the community.
“There are still people in or around our area who still don’t feel accepted because of microaggressions and phobias that exist within the queer community,” Davis said. “We definitely need more supportive groups to help fix this. Any efforts to make folks feel safe here are great, especially when they involve fun creative projects!”
Torres del Valle said her work as a therapist compelled her to recognize the difficulties LGBTQ+ teens in the community face and create the Teen Arts Collective: LGTBQIA+.
“I have worked with teens in schools and in the community as a therapist,” Torres del Valle said. “Many teens faced hardships in their experience, and I always wished there was a group I could refer teens to in order to connect with others. I saw a need and decided to create a group in order to fill that need.”
The next session will be offered on Tuesday, June 7. Anyone interested can register here: https://www.nataliatorresdelvalle.com/teen-arts-collective-lgbtqia.
