The following is an extensive selection from the Talent Agency 2017 Report which contains grant language, status of the programming and its model, and a cumulative report of the programs' accomplishments along with testimony from teachers and students. I am listed as staff and write a letter of support in the latter half of the report. In the sections detailing 2015, 2016, and 2017 I was instrumental in teaching or coordinating programming during these years. I was also a part of the proposed Arts in Context class during the Fall of 2017 where I worked as an Instructional Assistant, teach, and attended the class.
The report is long but extensive and details exactly what the founder Dorene Quinn, and co-founder Yvonne Buchanan, envisioned for the program. A lot of what it has accomplished is due to their tenacity and the flexibility of their model. I learned a lot about non-profits, administration, curriculum, teaching, recruiting, diversity, art, and connecting with students from them. They are instrumental in my understanding of teaching, this report is here as evidence of their thinking and in turn my thinking on why art is important and necessary for youths of all kinds.
Talent Agency
Teen Art Portfolio Development, Inc.
Report compiled by Dorene Quinn
Contents :
Part one: Description
Part two: History
Part three: 2017-Onward
Part four: Student Experience
Talent Agency Teen Art Portfolio Development Inc.
Mission
Talent Agency is a partnership that provides educational value and career development opportunities to Syracuse University students while creating advantages for underserved low income youth in the city. The organization functions as an educational and mentorship provider that develops innate visual arts abilities, and sets teen participants on a course to college art and design programs. Ability in the area of visual art knows no economic boundaries, however unless these talents are recognized and developed, students from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds will likely miss the opportunities a creative education can provide. This project addresses the obstacles that students from families who are caught in poverty encounter, and why so few of them are able to develop their talents into rewarding careers.
In creating these opportunities for Syracuse City youth, Talent Agency fills a need for real job training and experience for students enrolled in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and other colleges at Syracuse University. Talent Agency serves as a creative site for visual art students to learn to teach and use their skills to improve communities under the guidance of experienced professors, while working in an entrepreneurial venture. The educational opportunities are clearly mutually beneficial to both student communities. Talent Agency has engaged many university students as volunteers, work study staff and paid grant-funded internships, encouraging them to use their skills to create change in disadvantaged populations.
The Talent Agency Model
Dorene Quinn and Yvonne Buchanan, both active studio artists and educators approached the development of Talent Agency as an exercise in creative problem solving. The founders agreed that the need for more diversity in schools of art and design was a specific problem that needed to be addressed. With over 2 Decades of college teaching in visual art, Quinn at Pratt MWP and Buchanan at the School of Art in the College of Visual and Performing Art at Syracuse University, made them aware of unequal access to visual art education and careers among disadvantaged, and minority communities. Art and design industries are providing some of the best professional job opportunities for the 21st Century work force, yet public education and the general populace has been slow to recognize that the development of interest and ability in art and design can yield creative and sustaining careers. Not all students will have the inherent abilities required to be successful in the field, but neither will a majority of youth have the interest or gifts to compete in science or engineering. As artist-citizens, Buchanan and Quinn have worked to create a structure that addresses the problem successfully in the Syracuse region.
What the Model Has Accomplished
As the program has evolved Quinn and Buchanan have not only seen the portfolio development model work as hoped and expected, they have also observed unanticipated benefits that are powerful and deserve mention. Since 2011, dozens of 2-year college attendees have attended the program, and 24 Syracuse area students are currently in 4-year colleges or graduated, including 10 additional teens having recently completed the application process for fall of 2017. Among the unanticipated benefits of Talent Agency, are 100% college retention among Talent Agency participants in 4 year programs.
In the process of developing the best structure to ensure that the teen participants reach the goal of application, acceptance and admission to challenging high quality college programs, the program is structured to deliver rigorous, high quality skill building training through a pre-college/foundations level curriculum. This includes 3-hour studio concentrations that are quite challenging, with the result that the youth arrive in college already accustomed to maintaining focus and successfully working through typical problems. No teen from Talent Agency who has been admitted into a 4-year program has left before earning a bachelor degree. While we do not specifically recruit students for admission to Syracuse University, we have 10 Talent Agency Alumni currently enrolled in various colleges at the University. Among our alumni in 4 year colleges, most have chosen to go into art programs, however some have decided on other careers. Participating in the program prepares the teens for college in general, even in the event that a different career path is chosen.
Talent Agency has a Facebook group site that keeps in touch with many of our alumni and has become a site for teens to reach out to the Founders and directors of Talent Agency and the teaching staff. The site also serves to celebrate achievements of our alumni and receive advice and support from their former teachers and peers.
Teens come from all over the city and surrounding areas to learn together at the program and a community is formed that is safe, inclusive and supportive, born of a common interest in art. These are often youth who often find it difficult to fit in to the general high school social structure. This cohort may not be interested in sports or other activities that more extroverted teens are involved with. At Talent Agency there is a meeting of creative kids from many different experiences including area public high schools, home schoolers, kids from religious schools, and post high school youth newly interested in returning to school.
Talent Agency is an intergenerational, multi-racial organization, with experienced faculty guiding graduate instructors and undergraduate staff and volunteers. In our 7-year history we have worked with a population as diverse as possible including the full range of ethnicities and recent immigrants, physically and intellectually disabled youth, teens from the most economically disadvantaged backgrounds, LGB and transgendered teens, as well as kids who have other serious disadvantages.
Program Philosophy
Buchanan and Quinn have maintained a policy of openness when accepting teens into the program. Talent Agency is dedicated to the idea of “never say no to a challenge”. This is reflected in the evolution of the program and the many services that have been implemented to help the youth successfully attain admission into appropriate educational opportunities. The challenges the youth must overcome to succeed, and their persistence is the catalyst for Talent Agency to persist.
Challenges Met
While respecting the privacy of alumni, it is important to describe some of the obstacles that teens have encountered since the beginning of the program. These include troubleshooting individual issues that have threatened to derail teens futures.
In the early years of the program one young artists whose only guardian is an immigrant father who spoke very little English, was refused a refill of birth control, even though she had a prescription. Quinn went to the pharmacy to advocate for the student to the pharmacist who immediately backed down and dispensed the prescription. This young woman will be graduating from Syracuse University in 2018. Without this small intervention, she might have had a very different life.
An advocacy agency approached us in the spring of 2014 on behalf of a teen who is deaf and speaks only American Sign Language. We worked with CNY Works, and the Agency securing a grant from the Community Foundation and The Gifford Foundation to provide an interpreter. This young woman will graduate from Gallaudet University with a bachelor degree in graphic design in 2019.
Talent Agency received a call from a high school guidance counsellor inquiring about one of our youth to let us know that she had not been in school for 2 weeks. Quinn and Buchanan went to the home and encountered the mother who was not supporting the student’s attendance. We drove her to school and advocated to the administration to forgive her absences so that she could graduate high school. She will be graduating from Syracuse University, spring of 2017.
Among a surprising number of instances of family pressure not to attend college, one stands out when one of our teens received a full ride to a highly- regarded SUNY program. We delivered her to the orientation week and have continued to counsel her through many problems since, including advising her not to take out loans to pay her mother’s living expenses. She will graduate with a BFA in 2018.
A socially awkward young man joined the program last fall and seemed very withdrawn. We were not sure that he enjoyed coming, until after several months he began to make friends and started to smile. He is very interested in digital illustration, and is waiting to see if he will be accepted into college for the fall. While helping him write his college essay, we learned that he suffers from autism, as we suspected. During the application process, we were able to learn from his mother that bullying and social failure had made him a very depressed young man. He comes to the program now and happily interacts with all the participants. His demeanor is completely transformed. We are all hoping for good news soon!
When one of our very talented teens was wait-listed for the SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology, we intervened and talked to admissions for the program to see what the problem was. When we were informed that the student’s essay was not rated among the highest, we helped her with a re-write and continued to call and advocate. This teen had spent many years in a refugee camp in Thailand, her family fleeing persecution in Myanmar. We detailed her situation and informed admissions of her ESL status and she was admitted to the program very shortly after. She is living her dream.
In addition to these personal stories we have had many homeless teens, and teens in the foster system and in shelters. We have had many young people who have lost friends, family and even a parent to gang violence. We have learned to provide food—there is always bread and peanut butter on hand, as well as healthy snacks such as trail mix, juices, popcorn and fruit since many of the kids deal with the obesity that follows poverty. We have given teens warm clothing, blankets, supplies to make art at home, and found places for them to stay when they were homeless. We have bought them meals and driven them home when it’s too dangerous to walk through their neighborhoods. Once they confide their hopes to the staff and show us their determination, we all try to do what’s necessary to help them stay on track.
Early Program History
In the initial development of “Talent Agency”, Yvonne Buchanan and Dorene Quinn, identified the art portfolio as the single most important tool to provide a bridge for non-traditional applicants to gain access and funding towards training and education in the field. Through their combined 40 years of college level art and design teaching, they understood that in providing a program that focuses high quality pre-college skill and portfolio building assistance and mentorship, these students can be competitive for the top programs in the field. The portfolio is the first, and most important component in application to colleges of art and design, and a strong portfolio, developed under the instruction and guidance of specialists can be an enormous advantage, leading to scholarships and educational choices.
In the spring of 2011 Buchanan and Quinn proposed the project idea to The Near Westside Initiative, and received $ 30,000 to start the program with funding provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. As part of the grant, the students created a permanent concrete and steel sculptural installation in a vacant lot in the neighborhood, along with receiving instruction and assistance in building art portfolios. The program started with 7 high school students and recent Syracuse City School District high school graduates. This grant made it possible to rent a studio to teach drawing and 2-Dimensional art, adjacent to Dorene Quinn’s personal sculpture studio where the students were introduced to welding processes and wood fabrication. A college student was hired to assist during the first summer session.
Evolution of Program
2012
Due to the success of the first summer, the Near Westside Initiative asked the founders to do another summer session, and with the experience gained from the first year, a series of changes were implemented to create a successful structure that would accomplish our goals for development of the teens into successful college students.
We immediately worked to reach a larger cohort of eligible youth as we were convinced that given the ability to recruit program participants independent of the Near Westside initiative we could increase the number and quality of candidates to the program. We made appointments and visited all of the public high schools in the City of Syracuse, bringing information to guidance counselors and art teachers in the district. With the help of CNY Works, a youth employment program in the region that pays the lowest income teens to participate in educational and vocational activities, we recruited our maximum of 20 participants for the summer of 2012. (The program has grown in numbers each summer since 2012, reaching 32 students in 2016.)
The budget from the Near Westside Initiative for the summer of 2012 was considerably smaller but allowed for the hiring of two college students as assistants. Talent Agency received $4000.00 from Annie E. Casey, and a grant of $5000.00 from Say Yes to Education. Quinn and Buchanan created a foundational syllabus and served as the instructors with their participation
largely voluntary due to funding limitations. Drawing was taught to the entire group in the mornings and a choice of illustration or sculpture after lunch. The 2012 summer intensive was a great success, and programming was extended into the fall and spring in order to see the seniors graduate and gain admission into art programs. Of that group of participants, all rising high school seniors continued on to community college or 4-year institutions.
Talent Agency’s’ largest and most active session continues to be summer when the youth have their longest school break, however, since the summer of 2012 we have maintained year-round portfolio development and skill building sessions on weekends, and limited after school programming. In addition to art and design training during these fall/spring sessions, we provide mentorship, portfolio documentation and application up-loads to colleges, and advisement to seniors and post high school youth applying to programs. The commitment to year-round training and mentorship was an early decision as we realized after the first summer that the teens would have great difficulty following through on the application process without support and mentorship. Of the 7 original 2011 participants, only one went to a 4-year program, however she was one of two students that returned to the program for the summer of 2012, and the only original student that completed the second summer. The other 6 teens encountered complicated life situations that derailed any plans for college attendance. After implementing a year-round schedule, college application and attendance rose to nearly 100% for teens completing a full year or more in the program.
2013
During the fall of 2012, The College of Visual and Performing Art, Office of Sponsored Programs provided assistance in writing a grant to the New York State Council for the Arts, specifically for the support of Talent Agency. We were awarded a $58,300 matching grant that was used to operate the summer 2013, and fall sessions, including salaries for faculty, and staff, all from the ranks of the Syracuse University student body. 19 youth participated in the 6-week summer session and 20 students from all of the City high schools attended Talent Agency after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and several hours each Saturday throughout the 2013-14 academic year.
With a healthy level of funding, we were able to make a significant change to the program to the benefit of the College of Visual and Performing Art. Buchanan and Quinn hired all instructors for the teens from the graduate and undergraduate ranks of the University, primarily from the visual art programs, and stepped into the role of and mentoring and guiding graduate students to teach. Training and supervising art students from the College of Visual and Performing Art to become effective teachers in a community-based setting became a primary function of the program. The training of artists for roles in the community, and the development of sources for future income and career paths for these artists is consistent with the mission and goals of Talent Agency, as the Founders envisioned. During the spring of 2013, Quinn and Buchanan felt confident in the success and value of the program and in April they approached Chancellor Cantor to help sustain the project for at least 3 years in order for it to develop into a permanent part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Funds were
provided from the Chancellor’s office to cover a part-time administrative salary so that Dorene Quinn could continue to teach in and oversee the program, and supervise the student workers and participants, and Yvonne Buchanan was given a one course load reduction to continue teaching and assisting in the project. This arrangement was honored by Chancellor Syverud with two additional grants of $80,000 for academic years 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.
In the fall of 2013 The founders began to work with The School of Law, Legal Clinic at Syracuse University to establish Talent Agency Teen Art Portfolio Development, Inc. as an official 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization. We incorporated as Talent Agency Teen Art Portfolio Development, Inc. on December 6th 2013, and were recognized as a tax-exempt organization on March 17th, 2014.
2014 – 2017
Careful management of funds, and additional support from external grants and contributions of more than $150,000 gained through grant writing and fundraising has allowed Talent Agency to continue with a part-time salary for administration of the program and materials and supplies for activities beyond the 3-year period covered by the Chancellor’s grant. We have been able to operate year-round consistently for the past four years, including plans for a summer 2017 session through August 18th. As a result, we have seen the project begin to yield 4-year college graduates while continuing to place new college students in programs throughout the region and beyond, cementing our success and proving the “Talent Agency” model works.
Changes to Programming and Improvement of Services, 2014-2017
During this relatively stable 4- year period due primarily to support from the Chancellors funding, the numbers of teens served rose steadily, with a peak of 32 participants during summer, 2016. Due to space limitations and the logistics of serving the teens well, this seems to be the maximum number that can be accommodated for any one session. The larger cohort of participants for summer 2016 allowed us to have healthy numbers of teens in each of our 4 areas of media concentration. With an average of 8 teens per Instructor, the graduate student instructors each had an ideal group to work with that enhanced the teaching experience and allowed for focused communities of teens to work together.
After the 2015 summer session, Talent Agency lost its studios at the warehouse at 831 W Fayette which necessitated an immediate re-location to The Nancy Cantor Warehouse at 350 West Fayette St., Ground Floor, where we were given offices by Dean Clarke in Suite 001.
The most beneficial result of the move into the Syracuse University building is no longer being responsible for rent and utilities, including janitorial services that we enjoy in the new space. We have also been able to drop our private insurance due to coverage provided in the University’s buildings. With the Chancellor’s grant covering Quinn’s salary for teaching and administrative duties, and VPA’s contribution of a one course per semester load reduction for Buchanan’s continued work in the program, our expenses have been minimal.
VPA’s contribution of 1000 hours of paid graduate internships provides the program with almost all the staffing necessary to accomplish its goals.
These contributions from the College of Visual and Performing Art represent the most difficult expenses to cover through outside grant funding. We continue to attract funding from local and regional foundations and grant making organizations to cover the cost of materials and supplies.
For the summer session of 2016 we added a new concentration area, photo/video broadening our choices for teens and adding more technical instruction along with digital design and illustration, sculpture, drawing and painting. We will be offering photography in our 2017 summer session due to the popularity and success of that media area. We were fortunate to have hired Rachel Fein-Smolinsky ’17, graduate student from Transmedia to be our first instructor in this practice. She has set the standard very high for future photography offerings.
Talent Agency became a site for the Syracuse City School District Summer Lunch Program in 2016, and will be requesting lunches for participants for summer, 2017.
Spring 2017
Current Program Structure
In the years since the program was first implemented, a seasonal schedule of instruction, activities and events has developed that follow the needs of youth preparing for college admission. The program begins its year in the summer with a 6-week intensive portfolio development pre-college program that meets 4 days per week for 6 hours per day. The morning is dedicated to drawing instruction and the afternoon provides 3 hours of multimedia instruction including painting, sculpture, photo, illustration, digital, etc. Participants chose the area of concentration that interests them after an introduction to all media areas during the first week.
Fall session begins mid-September and includes 12 weeks of programming, with 3 weekly meeting times:
Art and Pizza Friday, 3:00 pm- 8:30 pm, is open to low income high school youth. Drawing is the focus for Friday Night Art and Pizza
Saturday 10:00 am-3:00 pm. students are instructed in a variety of media with focus on creating a body of work for the portfolio in the student’s chosen concentration. These include painting, illustration, digital design, sculpture, fashion, photo, etc.
Tuesday after school from 2:30-6:00 pm seniors are invited to stop in for mentoring and assistance in applying for college. This includes finishing up portfolio requirements, photographing and uploading portfolios, writing a college essay, artist statement, college advisement, etc.
Spring session:
Tuesday after school portfolio advisement and application assistance.
Friday Art and Pizza drawing sessions.
Saturday open studio with art activities of the students’ choice, and an art instructor-led activity (replaces the more formal multimedia offerings of the fall session.
Spring session is focused on helping the seniors through the college acceptance and preparation for college attendance process.
In mid-April a public exhibition and reception takes place to celebrate the success of the college bound participants.
The Launched Exhibit in April ends the annual program with a public celebration of the teens who have completed the process of applying to college.
Founder’s Thoughts
Talent Agency Teen Art Portfolio Development, Inc. is an artist- created site; a functioning, multi-faceted non-profit organization dedicated to the mutual benefit of creative youth and university students studying visual art. For Artists Yvonne Buchanan and Dorene Quinn envisioning, building and sustaining this project has been a laborious and fulfilling collaborative experience. Today Talent Agency serves as an educational and social laboratory for city youth and university students, with a community-based board of directors, a staff of University student interns, and a long history of successes. There is still much to do to perfect the model, and to ensure its sustainability.
On-going Needs, Larger Concerns
Fall and Spring Sessions
During the fall and spring semesters Talent Agency provides programming for youth on a reduced level, including 6-hour Saturday workshop/media concentrations, Friday Night Art and Pizza (drawing) that runs from 4:00pm-8:00pm, and Tuesday-3:00pm-6:00pm mentoring sessions for college application. These sessions are 12 weeks, beginning mid-late September in the fall, through early-mid December, and mid-late January in spring, and continuing through April. The focus for fall is completion of the application portfolio for seniors and post-high school youth, as well as continuing our contact and skill-building with younger high school attendees. For the seniors, intensive mentoring takes place in the fall including selection of appropriate colleges and Universities to apply to, finishing touches on portfolios, photography of the portfolio and creation of digital versions of the application portfolio, and essay writing. We attend the annual Regional Portfolio Day in early November, and the teens get to practice presenting their work and interviewing with prospective programs.
In the spring the application process continues until all the deadlines have been met, typically by early March. At that time, our seniors are finished and waiting to hear from the institutions that they have applied to, and their attendance becomes much more sporadic. Spring is typically the season with our lowest numbers. Planning and recruiting staff and students for the busy summer is the focus for the director, after applications are completed. Talent Agency also presents the graduating teens that are leaving for college in the fall with an annual exhibition called “Launched” which opens in April with a reception and celebration for the participants.
Spring semester could be an opportunity to provide limited programming to middle school students. This would help increase awareness that there are good potential careers in visual art at a time when they are being encouraged to think about what they can do with their talents and interests. In the Syracuse public schools, visual art is not offered or supported during the middle school years. An introduction to Talent Agency to that age-group might help them find us when they reach high school and are eligible to join the program.
Talent Agency Course in Art in Context
As a Talent Agency course is developed within the School of Art, there is an opportunity to reduce paid staff and interact with the youth using University students enrolled in Arts in Context. It will require guidance from faculty that understand the needs of the teens, the mission and goals of the program, and an understanding and ability to provide meaningful educational experiences to benefit University students and the youth participants. The mission of Talent Agency is to develop the inherent talents of disadvantaged teens to make them competitive for application and acceptance (and retention) in strong art and design programs. High expectations, high quality and challenging instruction, and as much support as needed to bring the youth to higher education opportunities must be maintained.
Summer Intensive Portfolio Development
The summer program is demanding in terms of contact time, preparation and delivery. It is the most structured programming during the year with 6 hour days for the teens, 4 days per week. Although we have been able to operate with the staff we need each year, it is often a struggle to fill all of the positions with appropriate student interns. Considering the commitment of time and the preparation required, we do not think it realistic to attempt to staff the summer program with unpaid interns receiving college credit for their time. The founders of Talent Agency developed the project with respect for the value of artists’ skills in relationship to the communities they interact with. It is anathema to the spirit of the organization to benefit from the labor of artists without fair monetary compensation. We cannot overstate the effort that our teaching and administrative interns expend during the summer intensive, or the level of responsibility that they must take on in order for the program to succeed. A commitment from The College of Visual and Performing Art to continue to compensate teaching interns during the summer is critical.
Fall and Spring Semesters, Art in Context
Fall and spring sessions of the program are much more flexible in regards to time commitment and level of responsibility. As part of the academic year, and the smaller youth participant numbers, these are the most likely elements of the program that lend themselves to operating with unpaid student assistants and instructors. The time commitment needed from University students is much less overwhelming, and the program staffing needs could more realistically be assigned to students in an Art in Context course. However, there must always be an experienced, competent director who can make quick decisions, and manage situations such as physical safety, interpersonal relations within the community of youth participants, the handling of special needs students, and the various issues and problems that arise when dealing with economically disadvantaged teens. The director must also have the experience and judgement to access the value of the lessons, and whether sufficient progress is being made with each individual participant. Because the college student population, both graduate and undergraduate have other demands that will often take priority, the director will have to step in and cover for missing instructors and assistants. The director and/or faculty advisor must be able to teach at a moments’ notice to cover for an ill or otherwise occupied instructional intern, as has been the case on multiple occasions. This position must also take responsibility for driving the calendar of events throughout the annual program cycle, making sure that the program communicates with the community about event and session dates, holidays and cancellations and recruitment of staff and youth in a timely manner. In addition, the deadlines for college application must be kept, with the teens needing multiple reminders when various parts of the applications are due. A consistent leader that maintains relationships with local and regional funders, other youth services organizations and the educational institutions that our teen population comes from, the board of directors and the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the parents and guardians of the teen participants is also critical to the survival and continued growth of Talent Agency.
Youth Outcomes
Talent Agency was founded to assist teens in selecting the best college or university program for the individual student’s needs. As a consequence of the program, Syracuse University has added 10 students from Talent Agency that are currently enrolled in the college of Visual and Performing Art, as well as other colleges at Syracuse University. Talent Agency helps identify and prepare a group of talented teens from the City of Syracuse, adding to the economic, racial, and ethnic diversity of the University. Adrianna Cummings, School of Art, and Jamie Raines, Fashion Design will be graduating with BFA degrees this spring.
Syracuse University Student Experience
Buchanan and Quinn developed Talent Agency with 2 primary concerns, the first being equalizing the college acceptance rates of talented youth from low-income and below poverty backgrounds. As faculty in art and design we are committed to a more diverse student body as a value to our educational institutions and communities. Just as important is the development of the college art student into professionals who will turn their skills into a viable career. Talent Agency gives the Syracuse University art and design students an opportunity to work in a community based program that creates positive change for underserved communities. Internships at Talent Agency provide real-world experience for undergraduate and graduate students. Letters from University students who have benefitted from this opportunity are included in this section. Some of them have found a career path in Talent Agency, others have benefitted from the teaching experience. All have agreed that the program is a highlight, and an opportunity unique to Syracuse University students.
Syracuse University Student Staff and Volunteers, 2011-2016
Fall 2012/ Spring 2013
Sage Cruz-Fields, Painting ’15
Jack McGowan, Illustration ‘15
Summer 2013
Heather Ryerson, Engagement Fellow, Illustration G’ 16,
William Philip Evans, Sculpture ’14
Fall 2013/ Spring 2014
Heather Ryerson, Engagement Fellow, IIlustration G’ 16,
Summer 2014
Allison Kirsch, Sculpture ‘15
Deborah Roberts, Painting G 15,
Fall 2014/ Spring 2014
Danielle Ruggiero, Art Education, ‘15
Advin Zhushma, College of Engineering, ‘15
Allison Kirsch, Sculpture ‘15
Summer 2014
Rebecca Aliosio, Painting G ‘14
Hillary Schwickerath, School of Education, G ‘15
Kejun Zhao, Illustration G ‘ 15
Alberto Veronica, Ceramics G ‘16
Timothy Grayson, Sculpture ‘16
Fall 2014/ Spring 2015
Guy Cornell, Painting, G ‘15
Jessica Whitley, Sculpture ‘18
Summer 2015
Alia Anamaria, Psychology ‘18
Jeremy Santiago-Horseman, Painting G ‘16
Lazaro Sanchez, Illustration ‘16
Mariah Scott, Arts Leadership G ‘16
Jessica Whitley, Sculpture ‘18
_________
workshops
Madeline Bartley, Printmaking G ‘16
Michael Giannattasio, Sculpture ‘14
Fall 2015
Asal Andarzipour, Collaborative Design G ‘ 18
Alissa main, Art Education G’ 18
Simon Perez, Fashion Design ‘17
Geani Sanabria, Illustration ‘17
Lazaro Sanchez, Illustration ‘16
Destiny Tudor, Communication Design ‘17
Joe Turek, Painting G ‘18
Jessica Whitley, Sculpture ‘18
Tong Zhang, Painting G ‘18
Mariah Scott, Arts Leadership G ‘16
Spring 2016
Julie Miller, Art Education ‘16
Geani Sanabria, Illustration ‘17
Joe Turek, Painting G ‘18
Asal Andarzipour, Collaborative Design G ‘ 18
Tong Zhang, Painting G ‘18
Summer 2016
Rachel Fein-Smolinski, Art Photography G’18
Cait Finley, Sculpture G’18
Aysha Hamouda, Sculpture G’18
Kaia Morales, Sculpture ‘20
Andrew Pappas, Illustration G’18
Sherry Su, Illustration ‘16
Taro Takizawa, Printmaking G’18
Joe Turek, Painting G ‘18
Jessica Whitley, Sculpture ‘18
_________
workshops
Noah Hausknecht, Sculpture ‘15
Marilyn Koch, Jewelry G ‘18
Fall 2016
Asal Andarzipour, Collaborative Design G ‘ 18,
Joe Turek, Painting G ‘18
Geani Sanabria, Illustration ‘17
Destiny Ray Tudor, Com Design ’17
Siraaj Johnson ‘19
Spring 2017
Asal Andarzipour, Collaborative Design G ‘ 18,
Destiny Ray Tudor, Com Design ’17
Louise Thompson, Painting ’19
Leticia Hernandez, Sculpture ’19
Allison Main, Art Ed, ‘17
Syracuse University Student Intern Letters
To Whom It May Concern:,
My name is Joe Turek, I am a grad student at Syracuse University (SU) and have worked with Dorene Quinn and Yvonne Buchanan as an assistant director and teacher for Talent Agency. Before entering SU’s grad program to pursue my MFA I was a high school art teacher in an underprivileged school in Illinois. I worked as a teacher for four years in public education, and while my art career and education career were progressing amicably they were not going the way I had thought they would, so I came here to SU to see what I could do to further my career.
Syracuse has offered me ample opportunities to develop as an artist. Within the programs, classes, professional development, and unique opportunities it has to offer is the little-known gem known as Talent Agency (TA). While teaching is certainly not the primary reason I attended SU it is a part of the reason I attended, the chance that this program affords grads who want to teach is just one facet of the opportunities it provides. If I really wanted to teach I could teach. I already have the certifications to teach, and SU offers many IA positions that allow me to teach at the collegiate level as an associate professor in addition to my prior experience.
Talent Agency is unique in that I am teaching underprivileged students that could not afford a college education in a unique setting. I offer a window and pathway to that higher education with TA. I am simultaneously the artist teacher and guidance counselor. When you teach at TA you also develop curriculum, it scales to your needs and expertise as a teacher to the needs of a very specific population with its own set of concerns. You are expected to nurture in an environment that is not a public-school environment for students that are not yet aware of their potential. It is a challenge unlike any other. There are no grades, no other distractions, but students are expected and encouraged to make work for a portfolio for college applications and are still developmentally in high school. The bureaucracy of an educational institution and the demands put upon these students and teachers are removed, it is just a pure teacher student experience.
When I worked with Yvonne and Dorene I was rare in that I got to see behind the curtain. I helped them prepare grants, organize files, and help hire teachers and run their summer program. There is time and a budget provided by SU to fund my position, and my fellow grad student teachers also were encouraged to help outside of our hours. We were excited and willing to do it because of the core purity of the experience offered by TA. The stability that working in this model added to my understanding of what it means to work and sustain myself as an artist teacher. This was even further expanded and solidified by these minor administrative experiences. My fellow grad student teachers were also bolstered by it too, they’ve used these tested core skills to inform how they teach at SU. All of them have said the work they did felt fulfilling and worthwhile to both their artistic practice and their teaching. I am unique among them in that I have expressed interest for the managerial aspects of the organization but that doesn’t mean this position isn’t worthwhile. Artists need a myriad of other skills to be able to sustain themselves and work of this kind, not just as an educator, but as an educator within the field of non-profit arts based organizations, this kind of learning is key. The concerns of all of these potential careers overlap, and SU for the most part keeps these learning experiences separated. Museum studies, arts administration, and art education are in their own worlds and they need to be in the consciousness of artists’ plans for sustainability.
When you work at SU as an instructional assistant or an associate professor you are paid for your time. SU’s graduate program is one of the most affordable programs I applied to, being paid for the work I put into TA is tremendous. The experience with only the incentive of pay would be enough, it is not the main incentive though. The experience and the values instilled by teaching in this environment to these students is what is worth it. It is important that artists are paid for their work. I understand that without SU’s generous support TA would not function, please keep this opportunity available. I can’t imagine not talking about it whenever I mention my time at SU, it is a crucial component to my understanding of my practice, my profession, and my education.
Joe Turek
S.U. Grad, ‘18
Letter of support:
There are many great opportunities offered to graduate students at Syracuse University. For me however, none was as important or influential as teaching at Talent Agency. Dorene and Yvonne are tireless individuals who have fashioned a learning environment uniquely positive, generous and sincere. I am very grateful and proud to have been a small part of it.
The benefits of Talent Agency impact not only the students, but the staff. While I had taught previously, nowhere before had I received so much guidance and advice. In a very short time I had made mistakes and experienced incredible triumphs. Working there I learned to be a better instructor. I learned to have empathy for my students and for my peers. I learned what being proud of your students truly meant.
For the first time, I was given the opportunity to make a real difference within a community; not only an art or academic community, but a community of wonderful and passionate kids who shared the same aspirations as I once did. The desire to go to college and pursue art. The best moment was finding out that Anthony (a student I had worked with often) was accepted into Alfred University with a full ride.
The skills I gained working there were priceless and have continued to bear influence on my career. Talent Agency is a program like no other, well deserving of support and preservation. I hope this information proves helpful. If I can further assist, please e-mail or call me.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Aloisio
Adjunct Faculty
College of Imaging Arts and Sciences
Rochester Institute of Technology
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to voice my support of the Talent Agency Program headed by Dorene Quinn and Yvonne Buchanan. I was the photography/video instructor in the two month course the Summer of 2016 and I cannot stress the importance of this program in bridging the gap between the Syracuse community and Syracuse University. I have taught high school courses before through the Young Artist Program at the San Francisco Art Institute and it pales in comparison to the teaching experience that I had with Talent Agency. The experience was vital in my development as a teaching artist. The reason that I came to Syracuse University was partially because of the opportunity to teach my own classes, which almost no other MFA program has, and I knew of the Talent Agency program. The students who were in my Talent Agency class grew immensely over the two-month course. Through Talent Agency I was able to introduce the students to Light Work Community Darkrooms, and began fostering a relationship between Talent Agency and Light Work. Because of this the students were able to shoot and print in state of the art facilities at no cost to them. This is an intensely unique opportunity that will affect their entire lives. There is no other program like this anywhere. This is a vital aspect of Syracuse University, and Dorene and Yvonne foster a mutually beneficial relationship for the MFA students who have the opportunity to teach, and the high school students who have the opportunity to develop a portfolio that will get them not only into colleges, but scholarships to make it possible for them to go to those colleges. Holding on to, and supporting Talent Agency is critical at this juncture for the Syracuse University VPA community. This program is not only a strong asset in recruiting MFA students, but it provides a vital service to the Syracuse community. I spent time with students who I have no doubt, if given support from institutions like Talent Agency, will become incredibly successful artists. I was fortunate enough as a teenager to be given support from programs like this as a low-income inner-city student in Buffalo, NY, through CEPA and Squeaky Wheel, and I am now showing work as an artist with these programs. It would be a huge loss if Talent Agency were cut from the program.
Thank you for your time and consideration, Rachel Fein-Smolinski, Dept. of Transmedia
To whom it may concern,
I participated in Talent Agency (TA) last summer, 2016 as the sculpture teacher in the Summer Portfolio preparation intensive.
Working with the demographic of students that TA reaches is very important and personally fulfilling, but the program also offers something irreplaceable to graduate students within the VPA. Without my experience at Talent Agency I would not have ANY experience or help in preparing a class syllabus, planning projects, proposing goals and setting expectations.
I expect to be teaching next year, but don't believe that adequate resources are offered to plan and implement college level curriculum. At TA I was given step by step instruction, guided through the process, given one on one critique and advice and allowed to then try my plans in a classroom.
Besides the incredible group of Syracuse young adults this program supports it also gives real tangible experience and support to SU graduates in the arts.
My experience at SU has been wonderful, but as a graduate candidate looking to enter the job market as a teacher there are few experience driven opportunities to get the experience I need to be competitive. Talent Agency is one of the few ways we can get real support in that field. Defunding this program will hurt at need youths who have very few creative outlets, but will also dissolve a very vital resource for grads in VPA to get teaching experience.
Thank you for your time, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Sincerely,
Caitlin Finley
To Whom it May Concern,
My name is Lazaro Sanchez, a recent graduate of Syracuse’s Illustration program and a former Illustration/ Animation instructor at Talent Agency Portfolio Development. During my time at Syracuse, I not only identified as a student of the arts, but as an arts educator as well. To understand why I became a part of Talent Agency, you need to understand a bit of my history. I come from New York City’s Spanish Harlem and was a middle-schooler during a time when the city cut funding away from arts programs and classes rather than support them. My passion for arts and arts education was something that had been instilled in me since I was a child. My hunger to better the creative part of my brain turned my eyes away from the city and towards out-of-state boarding schools where I could satisfy this need. While I did eventually find the program that was right for me, I always felt I was missing out on an opportunity to learn from the many artists that also called my city their home. No child should have to go to such great lengths to fulfil that need. These opportunities should be readily available to those wanting to take advantage of them.
When I think of Talent Agency, I think of the opportunity I wish I had. Talent Agency is providing a haven for a city hungry for arts education. The kids who come to Talent Agency are kids who are hungry to learn; ready to better themselves artistically and push themselves creatively. They come from high schools all over the city, united under one roof. The beauty of Talent Agency is, quite simply, that it is the place where many of Syracuse’s future artists will have taken their first strides. I see these kids and can’t help but feel a little envious of what they have going for them at Talent Agency. They are Syracuse’s community of artists, and they are not just growing, but growing together.
Talent Agency is tackling an urgent need in Syracuse. I am more than proud to have spent my last year and a half at Syracuse tackling that need with my co-workers at Talent Agency, under the caring leadership of Yvonne and Dorene.
My only hope is that you see how urgent this need is, too.
Sincerely,
Lazaro Sanchez
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Stephanie Holmes. This will be short and direct as my time is limited right now, but I want you to know that Talent Agency has my absolute and full support. I could write a book about how necessary this program is for the students, for the University, and for the city itself.
I moved to Syracuse in 2015 to spend a year taking classes in the ceramics department in order to study under artists whom I admire. Shortly after arriving, I started teaching at Talent Agency and it changed my whole focus for being there that year. The students need this program. This is the place where they better themselves, where they learn how to create great artwork, they get help building a professional portfolio, and they apply for colleges in order to get a good education. For so many of these talented teenagers, this program is the only chance they have at bettering their circumstances.
This is not only an incredible program for the teens they service but also for the University students whom they bring on board. The one component so often missing from art curriculums for undergraduate and graduate programs is how artists can actually make art their living. Staff members at Talent Agency are actively learning those skills.
Dorene and Yvonne showed me how to effectively guide my students, how to articulate my ideas, how to plan a lesson, about how to manage classroom behavior problems, and about how to run a program smoothly. I believe that future VPA students need access to this opportunity so that they too can open up new opportunities and career choices for themselves post-graduation.
I am extremely grateful for Talent Agency and I am fully aware that my time there led me to the teaching career I have now. I believe so much in this non-profit that I hope to open a similar program of my own in the future.
I urge you to support Talent Agency in any and every way you can!
Thank you for your time,
Stephanie Holmes
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to you to show my support for Talent Agency: Teen Portfolio Development. During my junior and senior year at Syracuse University, I worked alongside Dorene Quinn and Yvonne Buchanan as they helped inner-city high school students develop portfolios with which to apply to college.
Programs such as Talent Agency are invaluable for cities like Syracuse because when funding is cut from public schools art and music programs are the first to go. These students never would have had the opportunity to pursue college level degrees, had it not been for Talent Agency.
Talent Agency is also a valuable resource for our Syracuse University students. Many students from the Schools of Art and Design--specifically Art Education students--have had the opportunity to teach, work with, and learn from the Talent Agency students.
Not-for-profit organizations like Talent Agency are vital to a thriving community like ours. We ask that you please consider offering support for the program, so that these future undergraduates have the opportunity to succeed and excel, just as we hope for our SU:VPA students.
Many thanks,
Allison Kirsch ’15
BFA, Sculpture and English & Textual Studies
VPA Scholar, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Crown-Wise Scholar, Renee Crown University Honors
To Whom It May Concern:
When I came across Talent Agency I was not interested in college. I was a low income student who received straight A’s and felt no need for college. I received much more from this program than a college portfolio. Talent Agency has a way of bringing students together, when I was a high schooler attending the program it was the best way to prepare me for college. We created a portfolio that many other students would not have, especially coming from the current education system. Wielding, woodworking and plaster carving became a new way of living for me. Without art I would have nothing, I would still be wandering around aimlessly. Talent Agency not only helped me find art but a group of fantastic friends. This program helped me and various other students and I will bet that it will be just as beneficial for students in the future. This program has become a safe space for many students, I have seen this first hand as a student and a teacher at the program.
When I went to college and worked at Talent Agency, it was a fantastic opportunity. I figured out I wanted to work with high schoolers, I found the group of people I love to work with. My students taught me so many things, they taught me how to be a better listener, women and teacher. These students look at Talent Agency as a home. This is a space where they explore options they may never know without this program. There is hope for these students when they are in Talent Agency. They make friends that are just as creative as they are, while preparing for a future they are greatly excited about. There are few places where students can explore their passion in creativity, and I strongly feel like this should remain a safe place for them.
I will end with a story from my last year teaching there- I had a student that was very concerned with his future. He did not know what he was doing or where he was going and he asked me one day if he should go to college. “How do you even think about college when you don’t think you belong there?” he said he did not feel comfortable speaking with anyone else about it. I was honored, but so saddened that he had such self-doubt. I told him the truth- I never felt ready for college, people like me do not really go to college. However with a great support system, you feel as if you can take over the world. You feel as if college will be whatever you make of it- because you are a force to be reckoned with. He smiled at me and shakes his head, he said he wanted to keep doing this- creating- learning and he was going to work his hardest because he knew he could do it. Talent Agency gives students a chance to do things they never imagined and gives them a confidence they never knew they had. The program may change- but I will always advocate for this safe space to exist. To these students it means more to them than college, it is THEIR space, their world that they have created. Talent Agency was fantastic for me and I hope it will continue to be there for others who need it long after I am gone.
Sincerely, a grateful alumni
Jessica Whitley
Syracuse University: Sculpture/ Social Welfare, ‘18
To Whom it May Concern,
My name is Andrew Pappas, I am a second year illustration graduate student. I taught at Talent Agency last summer, teaching a class on digital illustration, and I found it a very rewarding experience for me as well as my students.
While teaching the class I learned a lot of the "does" and "don’ts" of teaching, how to motivate students, and how to transfer my knowledge to the next generation. I catch myself thinking up new lesson plans in my free time and how I would explain a complex design concept to those not so enlightened; I’m becoming more and more a teacher. Talent Agency has been a rewarding experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Not only is it a great teaching experience for Syracuse University graduate students, but I feel Talent Agency offers a much needed service to the community, allowing underprivileged young adults, who might not have a fighting chance to make their dreams come true, or just are not getting the artistic education they need to even the odds and boost their creativity to new levels. Having gone to a similar program in my teens, I know firsthand how valuable a program like Talent Agency can be to achieve artistic aspirations.
I hope that you will consider giving Talent Agency all the funding they need in the future to not only to provide Syracuse graduate students like me the chance to earn some much needed teaching experience, but also to help the youth of Syracuse make their mark on the world.
Sincerely,
Andrew C. Pappas, S.U. Grad, ‘18
To whom it may concern,
People commonly overlook the fact that art is far more than a decoration. It is the act of creative problem solving, it is the forerunner of many intellectual and philosophical movements, It inspires science, perpetuates social change, it inspires progress and social connection. It has the power to diminish the toxic barriers between class, gender, and racial prejudice. In countless ways, art illuminates our world.
Unfortunately, we live in a society which commonly feels that art is less important. Funding for the arts is often the first to be pulled. I recall in my teenage years, having gone to a school system which--year after year--threatened the integrity of the arts programs, constantly pulling funding in order to improve sports teams, and other favored programs. In this process, many young aspiring talents were discouraged from art. Their dreams of pursuing art, and going to college were sabotaged by their own school system. However, I was fortunate enough to have been accepted in a small program which encourages young talent to act on their creative passion, to follow their goals, and most of all, to go to college and build on their dreams. The program is extraordinarily successful in educating parents about the importance of art, and understanding how important it is to support their talented children. This program assists its students in getting into college with creating a solid portfolio, articulating their work, and building professional attitudes and work habits. This program got me into college, and it is the very reason for where I am today in my artist practice.
There are very few programs comparable to the one I mentioned above that have this kind of power and positive influence in its surrounding community. The Talent Agency Teen Portfolio Program of Syracuse is that type of program. I can confidently vouch for this program because I had the privilege of teaching there in 2015. I was honored to have the opportunity to give back to a cause, very much like the program that helped me when I was a teenager. The Talent agency, is a beacon to the Syracuse community. It has successfully transformed young talented high school students coming from troubled backgrounds, into successful college students and professionals in the field. It was a tremendous honor for me to have helped students achieve ambitious projects, to help instill confidence, and to be a part of the success of so many talented young artists. Upon completing the program, the students put up an exhibition of their work, which draws in an impressive crowd. I was truly astonished when I witnessed the pride and gratitude expressed towards the Talent Agency, and especially the talented students, by their parents and the Syracuse community abroad. This exhibition represents the hard work, tremendous learning curves, and above all, the impressive college level work each student accomplished within an intensive few months. If you haven't witnessed a Talent Agency Exhibition, I encourage you to do so. You will be impressed.
I hope that Syracuse University will continue to support this invaluable program. This program is not only a helping hand to the Syracuse city community, and to its young aspiring artists, it is also a valuable extension of Syracuse University. By continuing to support the Talent Agency, SU can show that it cares about its surrounding community, as well as bringing brilliance into the SU campus, and into the world.
Yours Truly,
Jeremy Santiago-Horseman, S.U. Grad, ‘15
To whom it may concern-
The Talent Agency in Syracuse has been so very beneficial to High School students struggling for resources to further their studies and interests in the visual arts. As an inner city Art Educator I have had such a tremendous connection with the Talent Agency and have eagerly pushed several students of mine to seek them out and get connected in any means necessary. I have discussed frequently the tremendous success stories of students getting into their top choice colleges and universities to focus on their artistic talents. For students to have this program is extremely important and offers the students a way to connect with fellow artists and peers that have similar interests. The teachers and facilitators of programs happening at the Talent Agency are quick to provide positive feedback for students to push further than they have before. The safe and positive atmosphere is so very important to these “struggling artists.” Students struggling to find a safe place to create their art, students struggling to connect and advance their level of artistic expertise to new level only they can dream of. These struggling student artists are easily transformed into student artists with the brilliant help of both Dorene and Yvonne and their willingness to have them reach for the highest of achievements and never underestimate their own creativity. These students are even given rides and dinner if needed. I cannot imagine not having this amazing resource and program around.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Julie Merrithew
Prof. Certified Art Educator K-12
Syracuse Academy of Science
S.U. Art Education grad, ‘16
March 2, 2017
To whom it may concern,
This letter is in support of the Talent Agency Portfolio Development. My name is Asal Andarzipour and I am a graduate student of MFA Collaborative Design. Since the beginning of my studies in Syracuse University I have been working at the Talent Agency as drawing instructor, and I became the Assistant Director of the program in the current semester. At the time I got hired for this job, I had no teaching experience, but I had a deep interest in gaining experiences. In addition to offering me the opportunity to build strong art teaching and leadership skills, this program helped me to develop my resume for a transition from Design to Fine Arts for PhD programs that I am applying for.
I believe Talent Agency under directory of Professor Buchanan and Professor Quinn has a significant impact on reputation of Art and Design community in Syracuse University, and a positive engagement with families and high school students in Syracuse. The high percentage admission of our students in Arts and Design programs in Syracuse University and over the nation is the evidence of our hard work.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions.
Best,
Asal Andarzipour
MFA Candidate / Collaborative Design
To Whom It May Concern,
I was shocked by being informed that the Talent Agency Program may lose their support in the future.
As a former instructor of the Talent Agency, I have seen many students with an underprivileged background have made progress through their artistic practice and this program has successfully helped them move to their higher level of education. I think this program provides a chance for these students to express their thoughts through art and to have an equal opportunity to make their voice to be heard. Please help this program run further.
Thank you for your consideration!
Best,
Tong Zhang
S.U. VPA Graduate, ‘18
College Students from Talent Agency’s Alumni
Former Participant Responses
Amelia Witschi February 28, 2017
The Talent Agency gave me an opportunity to meet other people my age with a similar interest as me in a setting where I could get one-on-one help with my art from those who are working there. I was able to develop friendships with people I wouldn’t have otherwise met because they went to different high schools. It was a unique experience to be able to have my peers help me with my art while I was also able to help them. Talent Agency is the only part of my high school experience that provided me a sense of community. It was and still is like a second family to me. Unlike high school sports, other extracurricular activities are not well funded or designed in high schools for students, so Talent Agency is where students with a passion for art can turn to. Spending each Summer going to Talent Agency was an amazing experience because I was working on my artistic abilities, but I was also spending all day with my friends. This kind of program is what motivates young artists to look at art as a viable career path, and it prepares them far better than any art teacher in a school. Syracuse needs more places for young people to go to have a sense of community as well as confidence in their ability to have a life where art can be their focus. If I hadn’t been given the opportunity to be a part of Talent Agency, I wouldn’t be anywhere near as skilled as I am now, and I wouldn’t have ever considered art anything more than a hobby that I’m mediocre at.
To me, Talent Agency is the best example of keeping alive the idea that art is important by passing those values down to the younger generations. Without this kind of accessible program, I don’t think many young people now would pursue or value art nearly as much. Art is not considered by many to be high on the list of what is a path to success. For students in public schools who have limited abilities to pursue the things they’re interested in, art is not a career choice that is promoted to them by school counselors, parents, or teachers. Art is not what parents hope their children thrive in because it isn’t what they see bringing them a good income. For young people who are passionate about art, this kind of ideology surrounding education can push them into other areas that they are not passionate about with the fear that art will not benefit them. I myself have chosen a major in college that I like almost as much as art rather than art. This is because before Talent Agency, I thought that I could never make it anywhere with an art degree, so I pursued other things. If there had been a program like Talent Agency for kids younger than high school students, I might’ve been able to improve on my art skills at a younger age and would’ve felt even more confident in my ability, which could’ve led me to an art major. Now I am considering minoring in art as well as a few other subjects.
Talent Agency provides high school students in this kind of position with resources to improve on their talents and to get into colleges that can take their passion and make it a career. For me and for many other students who have benefited from Talent Agency, the difference between having it and not having it is the difference between a life with art and a life without it. It would be a shame to see a program like this lose the ability to keep helping students. Just like how it would be a shame to see art disappear from our world. Dorene Quinn and Yvonne Buchanan are the reason I love art and are the reason art is important to me.
They are the reason many high school students have the opportunity to feel the same way I do about art. Getting people to value art to the extent that Talent Agency students do is a priceless gift to the world because they are creating the world’s future artists, who otherwise might not have considered getting an education in art at all.
Abigail Wysokowski
The Talent Agency has not only been a very important part of my life, but in lives of many other students as well. For me personally, it was a turning point in my life. I was in 10th grade and in a rough spot; I had just moved schools and my father had passed away January of that year. Art class seemed to be my only solace. It was a place where I had friends who understood me and I could be myself. But it was only one small part of my day. However, when Dorene and Yvonne came to our class to talk about the program, everything changed. Suddenly I was in a program surrounded by so many talented instructors and artistically like-minded friends. It was a safe space where I could do what I loved. I was learning a lot in art class at school, but they helped to further develop my skills and abilities. With their help, I developed a wonderful portfolio that got me into every school I applied to: School of Visual Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design, Champlain College, Ontario College of Art and Design, and College for Creative Studies. I decided to go to College for Creative Studies in Detroit to study video game design. I get to learn from industry leaders in the heart of a beautiful city swept up in an artistic revival. I absolutely love where I am in my life right now and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Talent Agency.
My name is Kaia Morales and I am a former student of the Talent Agency Portfolio Development Program. This program means a lot to me. I didn’t really have the confidence to go into an art field before joining the program. I was really unsociable and going through a lot. When my friend, Alexis Belt introduced me to it I wasn’t really sure. I went a few times and it didn’t take long for me to absolutely fall in love with the program. It started to build my confidence and skill in art. With the community of art lovers supporting me I learned not only skills in art but social skills and dedication. It was a place where I felt like I fit in and finally belonged. In my four years in the program, I developed my skills and the directors of the program even helped me to apply for colleges. With the help of these two wonderful women, Dorene Quinn and Yvonne Buchanan, I got accepted into all four colleges that I applied to. I am now attending my first choice, Syracuse University, with a full scholarship. I can’t stress enough how imperative this program was to my success. I don’t think I would have even attempted to apply to college for art if not for them.
Kaia Morales S.U. ‘20
Talent Agency did so much for me. They rebuilt my confidence in my work and my ability to succeed. They helped me build a portfolio and showed me that I can do college level work and be good at it. They taught me to expand my horizons and not to let a few failures keep me down. Furthermore, it was amazing to watch the high school students in the program develop their skills and to help them with my prior college experiences. I appreciate that I could come from failing out of college to being a straight A student due to the motivation and support I was given. Without Talent Agency, I wouldn't be in college about to graduate with an AAS degree. I think students deserve to have such a wonderful place to grow and develop for years to come.
Jessica Webster
Mohawk Valley Community College ‘17
Talent Agency is the reason that I am where and who I am today. If not for this program I would not be in college for art. I probably would be doing nursing which isn't something that I enjoy as much as art. Doreen and Yvonne have worked for many years to put teenagers into college and to be their support system as they have been for me. I would hate for this program to end. There are still hundreds of teens in Syracuse who need their help.
Alexis Belt
SUNY Purchase ‘18
Dear Ms.Yvonne and Ms. Dorene, This is why I love the Talent Agency: The Talent Agency was very helpful to me my senior year because Ms. Dorene and Ms. Yvonne helped me with my portfolio so that I could get into college. Throughout my time at the Talent Agency I got to try many different art mediums so that I could find what I liked and also just be able to experience different techniques. This program is valuable because it gives people the opportunity to meet others who have the same love for art and without it I wouldn’t have met the people I met or have learned how much I truly love art.
Sincerely, MeiLin
Syracuse University, ‘19
There are many thing’s I have learned from the Talent Agency, one of them being confidence. When I first arrived at the Talent Agency I didn’t even think I was an artist, I mean I liked being creative but I’m no Picasso. I went in to the program sure I wanted to be an architect, and then I wasn’t so sure anymore. The talent Agency and those who helped there, helped me apply to college, make a portfolio, even how to narrow my list of schools. I switched my major to political science eventually but the skills I learned at the talent agency go so much deeper than just art. I learned how to give constructive and positive feedback to my peers, even to slow down and just draw, which I still do when I’m stressed from working or studying too hard. The skills I learned with in the talent agency I use every day while at college and when I’m at home.
Najah Acosta, SUNY Cortland, ‘20
Talent Agency in the news
Talent Agency Teen Art Portfolio Development, Inc.
News
http://www.syracusecityschools.com/districtpage.cfm?pageid=6752
http://www.saltdistrict.com/tag/talent-agency/
http://news.syr.edu/talent-agency-teen-art-portfolios-on-view-aug-12-82219/
http://news.syr.edu/talent-agency-to-present-teen-art-portfolios-aug-14-42106/
http://news.syr.edu/914works-to-exhibit-talent-agency-teen-art-portfolios-74973/
http://www.livablecny.com/ny-art-students-work-talent-agency/
http://www.saltdistrict.com/2012/07/say-yes-summer-program/
http://mysouthsidestand.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/TheStandOctober2014.pdf