Hosted at BICA in collaboration with BICA School and Civic Arts (a project by teaching artist Robin Lee Jordan), Arts for Something! is an interdisciplinary program for young and emerging artists (ages 14–19) exploring the intersection of art and civic engagement.

Over the course of the series, participants will build creative skills—like screen-printing, zine-making, sewing, literary arts, and specialized visual arts—while learning how these tools can be used to support civic initiatives such as social justice, activism, and local community needs.

Young artists who commit to all eight sessions (with up to two excused absences) will have the opportunity to create and present a civic arts–inspired project in any medium. These projects will be featured in a collaborative zine and shared during a final exhibition and celebration in June.

Workshops take place the first Saturday of every month, October through May (skipping January), from 12–2 PM. 

Community Crochet Collage

Led by wavy

Filet crochet is a style of crochet that creates an image using pixels. The open stitches represent non-filled in pixels, while the closed stiches make up the image. We will start by deciding on a word together, with each artist responsible for making one letter of the word. Then we will use graph paper to make a pattern for the design of the letter we are responsible for. After we have our individual patterns, each artist will filet crochet a small piece of the tapestry. One by one as each artist finishes their letter, we will sew the pieces together to create a tapestry with our chosen word. Skills each artist will take away from this workshop will include how to make and follow a pattern using graph paper, how to foundation chain, how to create open and closed stiches with double crochet and chaining, and how to sew pieces together (creatively or technically).