Lauren Dameron says she has found her dream job as a young artist. The 17-year-old from North Avondale will be working this summer as a youth apprentice for ArtWorks Cincinnati.
For the next few weeks, Lauren will work with a team of nine young artists on a mural in Walnut Hills. They'll paint side-by-side with a pair of teaching artists.
“Working on the mural is great. It's a chill atmosphere and a chance to get paid to work every day with other artists and creative people,” she said. “It’s a pretty cool first summer job.”
Lauren is one of about 150 young artists, ages 14 to 21, employed by ArtWorks to paint murals and create other public art projects across Greater Cincinnati this season.
Some of the projects this summer include a mural in Milford, Ohio, featuring the work of the late wildlife painter John Ruthven and a new piece in Price Hill by Batres Gilvin. There are also plans for two murals this fall at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).
Sydney Fine, director of impact for ArtWorks, said apprentices were able to apply for the project that seemed most interesting to them. While the artists got to sign up this year, Fine said ArtWorks tries to ensure most of the apprentices come from the neighborhood where their work is taking place. In addition to practical elements, such as travel considerations, having artists come from the community gives the pieces deeper meaning.
"We've heard a lot from past apprentices about just how proud they are to get to leave their mark to make their community," she said. "There’s that really deep impact for those making the art, to feel as though they’re part of something much bigger than themselves."
This batch of young artists will join an elite fraternity of about 4,000 past apprentices employed over the years by ArtWorks, which began in 1996 as a program of the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative.
One of those former apprentices is Colleen Houston, the current CEO and artistic director for ArtWorks.
"We give young people the opportunity to make a difference in their communities, to add to our city’s vibrancy with large scale public art and community projects," Houston said.
The apprenticeship is competitive. Each applicant has to go through a formal interview and submit a portfolio of their work. Only about 25% get accepted every year, according to ArtWorks. Lauren was rejected the first time she applied, but she decided to apply again this year because of the feedback received from friends who’ve taken part in the program.
"I think it’s cool how public mural art is,” she said. "Art in fancy galleries or private collections is great, but it’s not always accessible. I like that murals are inherently accessible and out in the open. Anyone can see it, they just have to walk up, you know?"
Past projects include designs by the likes of Brazilian muralist Eduardo Kobra and Saya Woolfalk, an internationally renowned artist known for her work on topics such as race and sex. Images have included everything from Neil Armstrong and the moon landing to local "Faces of Homelessness."
ArtWorks first hired LaDe Richardson in 2017. The now-21-year-old has worked on projects all over town over the past five years — Avondale, Walnut Hills, downtown. He has even had the chance to put his stamp on his neighborhood, Madisonville.
The first piece he worked on was the "Crazy Cat, Crazy Quilt” mural in Over-the-Rhine. The piece honors the life and career of Cincinnati master artist Edie Harper.
Richardson said working for ArtWorks has helped him grow as an artist and a person.
“When I first started, I was not talking very much. But over time, I sort of got more comfortable and started to come out of my shell,” he said. "I became confident in expressing my thoughts and vision as an artist."
Richardson's hard work helped him rise to the rank of senior apprentice. He even took home the 2020 Biggie Award, a prize ArtWorks hands out every year to its top returning apprentice. ArtWorks gave Richardson the award in part because of his willingness to help young apprentices learn the ropes.
“We have a range of artists and personalities, from shy to very outgoing. I try to be a big brother or mentor to all of them,” he said. "It’s kind of our job to help each other grow as artists."
One of those young artists is Adeleigh Karoutchi, a student at Walnut Hills High School. It's the 16-year-old's second summer with ArtWorks. She's working on the Manse Hotel mural in Walnut Hills. Karoutchi admitted she was a little nervous about working on scaffolding a few stories off the ground, but she was more excited than anything.
Apprentices play a role in all aspects of the design — from marking to chalk outlines to the painting.
Karoutchi and another apprentice created a 3D model of their wall to help address some early layout issues their team faced.
"We started with some gridding and scratching (on the wall). It’s a lot of leg work," she said. "Once you get to painting, it’s a lot of fun because you get to see those colors come to life. But it’s really important you get those base lines right at first."
There are teaching artists, like Adoria Maxberry, to help the apprentices with the learning curve. Maxberry, an art teacher for Cincinnati Public Schools, is working with Karoutchi's team.
"The job of a teaching artist is to encourage students to find their voice and put their own flair on different pieces of the design," she said. "They're doing all that work. I’m there with them and providing support, but this is their mural and their project."
Like the other apprentices, Lauren said one of the things she appreciates most about this process is knowing she'll leave a lasting mark on her community.
“There are lots of really cool murals in the area. It’s cool to add to that,” she said. “It will be fun to tell people, 'Hey, I helped make that mural.'"