The YASS Program at ODU: Fostering Arts in the Community

The Youth Artist Summer Studio (YASS) program is a collaboration between the Melinda M Vooss Artfully Yours Memorial Fund and Old Dominion University’s Art Education program. The YASS program provides K-12 students across Hampton Roads with enriching, hands-on artistic experiences. The program, led by Art Education seniors, examines the big ideas of sustainability, personal growth, and identity through a focused investigation of the arts. Young artists are guided through an exploration of different mediums, influences, and socially relevant concepts to apply to their own creations.  

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Delivered in partnership with some of Hampton Roads' most prestigious museums—the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and the Hermitage Museum and Gardens—YASS connects students with the broader art community. These museum partnerships offer students unique opportunities to engage with professional art in a real-world context, fulfilling the foundation’s goal of bringing arts programs to the broader community and promoting a love for creativity and cultural enrichment at an early age.