The Arts Commission is recruiting youth apprentices for the Young Artists at Work (YAAW) program.
The 2025 program is returning for the 31st year with projects and exhibition opportunities that engage creative youths from the greater Toledo area.
The YAAW program provides young people with a paid apprenticeship to learn artistic and professional skills, under the direction of professional artists, art educators or instructors. Apprentices work 30 hours a week for six weeks.
Interested youth (ages 14 to 18) should apply via The Arts Commission’s website at theartscommission. org/ about/employment.
Applications are due on March 14. This year’s program runs from June 23 through August 1.
Applicants must be at least 14 years old by June 23, 2025, to be considered eligible for hire.
About Young Artists at Work Each year, more than 40 teens from diverse neighborhoods and communities in and around Toledo come together to find a unique summer employment opportunity and access to an experience designed to impact for a lifetime.
YAAW was founded in 1994 by Arts Commission Honorary Trustee Sara Jane DeHoff. A board member at the time, she was inspired by Gallery 37 in Chicago and brought the model back to Toledo in support of education and employment in the arts for 14 to 18-year-olds with a focus on those who did not have access to these opportunities.
Since her vision became reality, the Arts Commission has employed more than 2,000 apprentices in the program, including some second generations of family members who participated in the early years.
