The Teen Arts Council: Our group is small; our vision is big – taking Friends of the High Line into the future! Photo by Friends of the High Line

This blog post was written by Teen Arts Council members William Natal, Eva Polanco, and Pedro Hidalgo.

The Teen Arts Council, or TAC, is a group of teenagers who are seasonally employed by Friends of the High Line. While working at the High Line, TAC plans, organizes, and creates two teen nights each July and August in the the park’s 14th Street Passage. Come meet us at our first event, 90s in NYC, on Thursday, July 17. Read more about us after the jump!

The space: our empty canvas, we paint a picture of the future as we want it. Photo by Sean Walsh

This is the 14th Street Passage. It may not look like a lot right now, but come July 17 and August 14 the passage will be transformed into an amazing place filled with hundreds of teens enjoying themselves.

The experience: each event is the creation of our vision. Photo by Rowa Lee

The members of last year’s TAC put on two successful events on the High Line complete with DJs, musical performers, henna tattoos, glow-in-the-dark paint, hot dogs, cotton candy, and more. Above is the “Boardwalk” event from July 2013.

The process: self-motivated by self-worth. Photo by Friends of the High Line

In TAC, we plan the event from the beginning – We pick the theme; we pick the art; we pick the bands. Above, TAC Leader Sam Knight explains the agenda at the start of a productive day. This year, we picked two themes for this year that are extensions of ourselves. The July theme, 90s in NYC, keeps us in touch with our roots as teens born in the 90s growing up in New York. The August theme, Cruise to the Caribbean, is a tribute to the cultures of many TAC members with roots in the Caribbean.

Being a part of TAC doesn’t mean you only plan events, it means you also get to go them. We have fun and learn at the same time. Here is TAC at the Brooklyn Museum’s teen night, posing beneath Kehinde Wiley’s Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps. We had a blast!

The art: constructing and clarifying crystal-clear concepts. Photo by Friends of the High Line

TAC chose artist Crystal Clarity to design the flyers for our teen nights. Above Visual Communications Manager Erika Harvey, TAC member Pedro Hidalgo, and Crystal Clarity discuss the look of our two events: 90s in NYC and Cruise to the Caribbean.

LEFT: The talent: performing profound art. Photo courtesy DJ Flip Bundlez. RIGHT: The food: candy crushin’ nostalgic 90s babies. Photo by Friends of the High Line

DJ Flip Bundlez, pictured above, will be rockin’ the 90s tunes, and Brandi “BNik” Kilbourne will be doing two dance move workshops at our 90s in NYC Teen Night. We chose Now and Laters, Lemonheads, Ring Pops, Jolly Ranchers, and Fruit by the Foot because these are the candies we remember eating during the 90s. These candies taste great and are enjoyed as quick snacks.

The event: the first glimpse of our future, a glance at our past. TAC helped to design this flyer, which features an illustration by Crystal Clarity, for the July 17 Teen Night.

DJ Flip Bundlez will be rockin’ your favorite 90s music, you can dance along with Brandi “BNik” Kilbourne at our dance move workshops. Play some of your favorite 90s arcade games like Marvel vs Capcom2, Mortal Kombat, NFL Blitz and more. Be sure to check out 90s in NYC Teen Night on Thursday, July 17, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM, at the High Line’s 14th Street Passage. See you there!

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