On August 1st the Crocker Art Museum put on a little event for the teenagers around town. They labeled it “Teen Takeover,” and the title sure did live up its name. As soon as you walked through the Crocker’s doors teenagers were mingling and full of smiles.
For those who have not experienced the beauty of the Crocker Museum before I can assure you that it is quite marvelous. Three stories of fascinating art, all packed into one museum. This event took place throughout the museum. As soon as you walked outside, into the courtyard, you found a stage surrounded by chairs for the audience. The stage was taken over by all kinds of performers such as, hip hop dancers, bands, and break dancers. Plus an open mic was offered for the teenage comedians and singers.
Walking further back into the courtyard a graffiti competition was taking place amongst the sounds of skateboard wheels hitting concrete. Graffiti and skateboarders had taken over the courtyard with bright colors and fancy skate tricks. A special thanks to 28th and B Street skatepark for setting a ramp and getting the word out about the event to the skateboarders. The graffiti contest took place for a few hours, and the artist were required to spray paint the word “create” in a creative and unique way.
Sol Collective came to the event and showed visitors how to screen print the words “Teen Takeover” onto bright green T-shirts.
A competition took place inside the Crocker’s building also involving what is known as a Kendama, which seems to be very popular nowadays. For those who have no clue what I am talking about, a Kendama is an old Japanese toy that consists of a string, ball, and wooden handle-like structure that looks like the shape of a hammer. The goal of a Kendama is to work on your eye coordination, balance, and learn to do some cool tricks. Oh, man this competition was insane. These teenagers sure did take these tricks seriously, and they had a lot of fun.
Teenagers and families seemed to be going home with smiles and art needs satisfied. The Crocker Museum’s, “Teen Takeover,” was a complete success.
Heather “the intern” Uroff is a 15-year-old writer and photographer at TUBE Magazine.