Become a San Mateo County Youth Arts Fellow! Apply to become a San Mateo County Youth Arts Fellow!  This fellowship is a chance for you to share your art, connect with other youth artists in the County, and take on leadership roles by using your creativity to make a difference in local communities in collaboration with the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture. You will learn how to plan and execute a public art program and how to use the arts to engage community.

One fellow from each district in the County will be selected. Each fellow will receive $750 for their term.

Fellowship Goals:

  • To highlight the work of talented youth artists of varied media throughout the County
  • To develop a community of youth artists in the County
  • To provide youth artists with leadership opportunities to use art in engaging communities
  • To foster an appreciation of the arts by youth in the County and demonstrate the value of being an artist

Eligibility:

  • Aged 14-19
  • Resides in San Mateo County
  • An artist specializing in one or more art disciplines that can include visual, performing, literary, or musical arts
  • Experienced in community events, projects, or outreach is a plus
  • Able to serve as a Youth Arts Fellow for the term September 1, 2025– June 30, 2026

Responsibilities of Youth Arts Fellows:

  1. Develop and execute an arts/culture-related project that will engage the community on issues of social justice, environment/sustainability, mental health, equity, and/or other societal issues impacting their respective communities. These programs can be in collaboration with organizations like libraries, community centers, schools, art spaces, etc.
  2. Attend regular in-person meetings of the Youth Arts Fellows and intermittent virtual meetings
  3. Support the cohort with feedback and attend other fellows’ programs
  4. Help distribute info on other youth arts programs in the County

APPLICATIONS OPEN from July 1 to August 3, 2025, at 5pm PDT

APPLY HERE: https://forms.gle/3tyk5ExY6qRp6Q6N7

Meet the 2024-25 Youth Art Fellows and learn about their projects:

Aconitum (Acy) Mowles is a 15-year-old visual and digital artist and a sophomore from San Mateo High School.  Acy used their skills as an artist to develop a clothed figure drawing workshop for youth, focusing on the beauty of trans body to help people feel a sense of hope or belonging. Teens were invited to come and draw several gestures and different poses. Teens of all drawing levels were welcomed, and Acy led the group in instruction.

FIGURE DRAWING SESSION
March 2, 2025
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
San Mateo High School

This event was in partnership with the San Mateo High School Art Department.

Jaslene Lai is a 16-year-old classical pianist and a junior at Burlingame High School. Jaslene used her musical abilities to present a mental and brain health workshop targeting a particularly vulnerable segment of San Mateo County's population—the low-income elderly, who are at higher risk of developing health problems, including dementia. The engaging music workshop featuring favorites from the ’50s to the ‘70s celebrated intergenerational connections, with the public enjoying live performances by youth musicians, participating with percussion instruments, and music-themed drawing activities.

THE CHORDS OF COMMUNITY
March 16, 2025
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Belmont Senior Center

This event was in partnership with the Belmont Parks and Rec Department and the Burlingame High School Music Department.

 Valerie Lin is a 16-year-old visual artist and senior at Summit Shasta High School in Daly City. Valerie created an event where youth visual artists and musicians exhibited together in a gallery space with live music. The gallery showcased a diverse array of art forms, all by San Mateo County high school students, giving artists a chance for their art to be recognized and appreciated.

ART & SOUND GALLERY
April 19, 2025
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Chit Chat Café

This event was in partnership with the Chit Chat Café.

Olivia Veroy is a 15-year-old poet from Daly City. Olivia was the past Daly City Youth Poet Laureate and planned a session where people could read their poetry to Ben, a San Mateo County therapy dog. This opportunity gave poets of all ages a safe outlet to express their feelings and emotions, as well as discover new forms of poetry at the bookstore.

PAWS FOR POEMS
April 29, 2025
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Peninsula Book Collaborative

This event was in partnership with the Península Book Collaborative and San Mateo County's therapy dog named Ben.

Danika Gonzalez Johnston is a 16-year-old performing artist and junior at Half Moon Bay High School Danika who created bilingual playwriting and performing workshops for 4th and 5th graders at Pescadero Elementary School. The play was written and performed in both Spanish and English and written entirely by the students. Robot Takeover included 70s, Disco, and... robots? Once upon a time... way back when... before smartphones were invented... the Lopez sisters decided it was the perfect day to go and play hide and seek. Only searching for the perfect hiding spot, their sister is taken by robots hidden in the sewers. How will the sisters get her back? Will they band together with scientists and farmers? Or will they fail to set aside their disputes and let the robots take over?

ROBOT TAKEOVER
April 28, 2025
6:00 PM
Pescadero Elementary School

This event was in partnership with the Pescadero Elementary School.