Blue Sky Project, a program of Involvement Advocacy, is a summer arts community project in McHenry County Illinois, linking professional artists with the young people aged 14-19.

Blue Sky selects artists based on proposed projects that extend their personal artistic investigation to include the active participation of young people. We encourage projects to include identifying and addressing a community need through art. Small teams of 6-8 youth participants work with an artist to undertake that project over the course of eight weeks in the summer. The perspectives and insights of young people have a tremendous amount to offer artists and we are interested in seeing what happens when they collaborate.

Blue Sky Project is designed in a non-hierarchical fashion to foster real cooperation. Our objective is that everyone involved comes away from their summer having been both leaders and participants. Ultimately, we believe that this process has the potential to create truly innovative and significant new works of art that will gain meaning and importance having been made by these otherwise unlikely alliances between artists and young people.

While Artists-in-Residence, artists live in provided housing and commute to nearby McHenry County College. Local teens work together with parents and one another to establish transportation to and from the college.

Because of the collaborative nature of our program, additional activities and structure vary from summer to summer.

To apply to be an artist in residence, click here….

To apply to be a youth participant, click here….

30-40 Youth Participants from McHenry County, aged 14-19
5 Resident Artists
5 Student Artists
1 Program Director

Youth Participants will be selected on the basis of passion and a demonstrated interest in artistic expression, with an emphasis on economic, ethnic, gender and geographic diversity.

Resident Artists will be selected through a project proposal process that emphasizes both extending artistic practice/investigation as well as the project's impact on the youth participants and the community.

Student Artist positions will be developed in partnership with the McHenry County College Art Departments, with selection based on faculty recommendations and interviews. Students from other art schools who come from McHenry County are also encouraged to apply.

FREE for residents of McHenry County

McHenry County College

June 16 - August 7, 2008
(8 weeks)
Monday through Thursday
10:00am - 3:30pm

Youth & Parent Orientation and Artist Introductions
Sunday June 15, 2008
1:00 - 3:30pm

Closing Reception & Gallery Opening
Friday August 8, 2008
5:30 - 8:00pm