Art in the House and TRANSIT ARTS
Connecting children and teens with opportunities
Through GCAC’s new initiative, Art in the House & TRANSIT ARTS, GCAC and its partners will organize and connect local artists, arts and cultural organizations and independent arts education programs into a comprehensive network of accessible opportunities for students in grades kindergarten through 12. Special focus will be placed on the needs of children during out-of-school hours, such as afternoons, evenings, weekends and during the summer.
How does it work?
GCAC staff will work with the local teen program TRANSIT ARTS and the Columbus Federation of Settlements to offer varied opportunities for young people to gain access to resources, instruction and inspiration. There are two main components to this initiative:
Art in the House: This refers to primary programming sites within several of the Columbus Federation of Settlements’ facilities as well as other neighborhood partner sites. Scheduled arts activities at Settlement Houses and other locations will be free and open to the public. Modeled in part after GCAC’s award-winning Children of the Future program, children 5- to 12-year-olds can begin their connection to creative thinking, leadership and lifelong learning through the arts.
TRANSIT ARTS: TRANSIT ARTS, for young people ages 13 to 19, is about creating, inspiring, teaching, cultivating and attracting young talent. Originally known as CAPACITY, TRANSIT ARTS is a continuation and expansion of a long-running collaboration with the Central Community House. CAPACITY and now TRANSIT ARTS have touched thousands of teens in Central Ohio and garnered national attention and praise. For more on TRANSIT ARTS, go to transitarts.com. This component includes art-related activities throughout the Federation of Settlements and other community sites along with summer job and internship opportunities, touring performance productions and entrepreneurial opportunities in the arts.
Bios of Art in the House/TRANSIT ARTS artists:
Master artists:
Queen Brooks
A lifelong resident of Columbus, Brooks received her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University. She is a painter and wood burner who loves "covering materials with color.” Brooks has taught art as an adjunct professor at Ohio Sate University, Otterbein College and Ohio Dominican University. She also led the arts instruction program for 11 years at the J. Ashburn, Jr. Youth Center. She has served the local arts community as a juror and curator. Brooks has an extensive exhibition record and her works are found in collections throughout the United States and in West Africa’s Ivory Coast. The Columbus Museum of Art purchased one of Queen's works of art for its permanent collection. She is the recipient of the Lila Wallace/Readers Digest International Artist Fellowship, the Arts Midwest National Endowment for the Arts Award, the Arts Freedom Award from Columbus’ South Side Settlement House and the Columbus Cultural Arts Center’s “Living the Dream” Artist Award. Her work has been featured in Essence Magazine and twice in the International Review of African American Art.
Richard Duarte Brown
Brown began drawing at age 6, creating art from found objects such as rice, glue, shoe polish and cardboard, and he continues to work primarily in mixed media. His works have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States and locally at the Frank Hale Cultural Center at The Ohio State University and the William Thomas Gallery. He is a participating artist in Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States, a traveling public art exhibition support by the Ford Foundation. Brown has dedicated his talents to helping young people through countless programs including CAPACITY, the Short Stop Youth Center, the King Arts Complex, GCAC’s Artists-in-Schools program, Children of the Future, Ebony Boys, ArtSafe and Very Special Arts Ohio. Brown has also worked as a high school art instructor at the Arts and College Preparatory Academy in Columbus.
Keomanich (Keo) Khim
A graduate of the Interactive Multimedia Technology program at Columbus State Community College, Khim’s design clients include the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, The Wexner Center for the Arts, The Columbus Museum of Art, Post Comedy Theatre, Youth to Youth International and many more. Khim was first involved with CAPACITY as a high school junior when he was selected to join the CAPA Scholars program. He also served as one of six student advisors to High Five Tickets to the Arts. He began working with CAPACITY as an intern while at Columbus State and was soon hired as a program associate and resident graphic design artist. As a graphic/web designer, he is driven to create when there is vision and purpose, giving his audience a chance to see their own reflection of creativity. He is also a musician who loves to sing and play guitar.
Apprentice Artists:
Javon began drawing at age 12 and quickly found a passion for all variety of 2-D media, including oil painting, drawing and pastels.
Anthony Micheal
Born in Chicago, Anthony's earliest introduction to the arts came from his mother's subscription to National Geographic magazine. The amazingly vivid pictures from locales all over the world piqued his interest in photography, an area which he did not fully explore until in his mid-teens as a participant of the CAPACITY teen arts program. His artistic interests flourished in the areas of painting, sculpture, photography and film. A student at Columbus State Community College, Michael is currently producing and directing his first documentary.
Keith Williams
Keith “Speak” Williams is an emcee, public speaker, performance artist, writer and musician who focuses on community impact through the performing arts. He specializes in connecting the literary arts to Hip-Hop, and using the arts as a platform for personal development and civic engagement. He was president of the Way With Words Poets’ Society for two years at Wright State University. Williams has performed at the Columbus Juneteenth Celebration, the King Arts Complex, New Harvest Cafe, the After 5 Lounge, the Ohio Statehouse, Maryhaven and The Works Gallery. He is a regular performer with the TRANSIT ARTS Performance Group and is pursuing a career as a professional recording artist. Williams is also a graduate of the Senator Ray Miller Institute for Leadership.
How do I get involved?
If you’re interested in participating in Art in the House or TRANSIT ARTS, contact Tim Katz, GCAC’s Community Arts Education Director.
Art in the House and TRANSIT ARTS are generously funded in part by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners.
