ART/LIT is an art club for teens that explores connections between visual arts and language

Middle and high school students can learn to transform overlooked text into personal and expressive works of art. Inspired by Tom Phillip’s seminal work, A Humument, techniques such as erasure and collage will be used to discover unexpected poems. Leave with a finished blackout poetry piece and a new way of seeing language on the page. Participation is free; registration is required.

This ART/LIT session will be led by creative writing instructor Veronica Kavass, who currently teaches at UNCSA, previously taught at Watkins College of Art, and has written about art for publications including Burnaway and The Nashville Scene. Kavass’s writing is largely influenced by her experiences as a criminal defense investigator, teacher, oral history interviewer, and curator. She is currently writing about memory and language in the criminal justice system, inspired by her years working as a public defender investigator in New Orleans.

ART/LIT

Students ages 12-17 are invited to explore the intersection of visual arts and literature at ART/LIT, an art club for teens that meets monthly for hands-on workshops led by working artists at local library branches. Workshops are open to all skill levels and encourage curiosity, creativity, and connection through art. ART/LIT is presented in partnership with Forsyth County Public Library. All materials are provided. Registration is required.

Art & Literacy is now ART/LIT, an art club for teens that explores connections between visual art and language

With guidance from illustrator and storyteller Jessica Robin Harkey, middle and high school students (ages 12-17) can use a variety of materials to create pocket-sized books—ideal for short comics, stories, or poems—and leave with their own handmade books and the skills to create more on their own.

Instructor Jessica Robin Harkey is an illustrator of children’s picture books and Artist Instructor at Sawtooth School for Visual Art. She is a firm believer in all things mythical, magical, and make-believe, from which she draws creative inspiration. Jessica fills each of her illustrations with as much whimsy, humor, and detail as possible so young readers can discover as many stories as they like. She hopes her work resonates with curious kids as well as kids at heart.

ART/LIT Teen Art Club

Students ages 12-17 are invited to explore the intersection of visual arts and literature at ART/LIT, an art club for teens that meets monthly for hands-on workshops led by working artists at local library branches. Workshops are open to all skill levels and encourage curiosity, creativity, and connection through art. ART/LIT is presented in partnership with Forsyth County Public Library. All materials are provided. Registration is required.

Explore connections between visual art and language at our new Art & Literacy workshop series for teens.

Middle and high school students (ages 12-17) are invited to explore the connection between image and language with photographer Amy Badgett through the experimental process of Polaroid emulsion lifts. Learn to transfer and reshape photographs onto new surfaces, and as images shift and transform, reflect on how meaning evolves through visual and written storytelling. Responses will be captured through poetry and short writing exercises that layer text and image.

Designed for teens and open to all experience levels, this workshop encourages creative risk-taking and personal expression. Participants will leave with finished artworks, original written compositions, and a deeper understanding of how images and words can be reimagined.

About Amy Badgett

Photographer Amy Badgett explores the hands-on nature of film photography and alternative photographic printmaking processes with portraits of artists, families, and others, using film as a way to stay present. In 2020, she released her first photobook, Soft Rivering. Her current work, beyond portraiture, is created in her home studio, where she explores multiple-emulsion cyanotypes and experiments in her darkroom. Outside of her artistic practice, Amy enjoys sewing, gardening, traveling, and spending time with her daughter.

About Art & Literacy

Presented in partnership with the Forsyth County Public Library, Art & Literacy is an artist-led program that brings hands-on artmaking to library branches in the Winston-Salem area. Each month, attendees can explore the intersection of visual art and literature through artist-led experiences in contemporary book art practice.

Art & Literacy celebrates the deep and lasting relationship between art and literature — books are not only vessels for stories and information, but also artistic objects shaped by material, structure, and design. Sessions are open to a variety of ages and skill levels and encourage curiosity, creativity, and connection through the art of the book. No prior experience is required.