Two years after taking his first Crucible class, Simha Furaha stepped into the Hot Shop and fell in love with Glass Blowing. From 2018-19, he was a Fuego Youth Leader in that department, helping summer camp instructors teach youth students while also working on his craft with a mentor.
Like most things, we weren’t sure our Fuego Youth Leadership Program would run this summer. But with modifications to shelter-in-place orders, the introduction of new health and safety guidelines in our studio, and funding from our program sponsors, we’re excited to announce we’re moving forward with a streamlined version.
Oakland is a city known for its art—it's often listed as one of the main attractions for visitors. Normally, we have the privilege of seeing art come to life in our studio on a daily basis. But since our own studio is shut down, we're looking for new, creative ways to engage with Oakland while staying safe.
Printing a 52-page catalog uses a lot of trees. And trees are awesome! So instead of making our traditional catalog, we're moving in a new direction. What would have been our 2020 volume 2 catalog has been reimagined [cue sparkly sound effect].
It’s hard to believe 20 years have passed since establishing our first (and much smaller) studio in Berkeley. We kicked off 2019 with a renewed dedication to expanding class offerings, adding dozens of new options and bringing back several old favorites. We also expanded our Fuego Youth Leadership Program and introduced the first in a three-year OUSD grant-funded partnership with McClymonds High School.
Pablo Cambron-Valdez has been interested in art and sculpture since childhood. He would often make figurines out of clay his mom brought home from work or attempt origami from scraps of paper. But when he took his first Glass Blowing class the summer before high school–a gift he received for getting good grades–he knew it was something special.
For the first time in the Fuego Youth Leadership Program’s 10-year history, we invited first and second year leaders to work together for four weeks of collaboration, culminating in the 2019 Fuego Youth Leadership Reception this past Friday.
In our 2018 Youth Impact Report, you can see just how much you made possible—free field trips for youth, over $100,000 in youth scholarships, and much more!
This year, in honor of Fuego’s tenth anniversary, we have expanded the program to be four weeks long, where both years work and learn together.
In a time when expressing creativity as an act of resistance and learning STEAM skills are both critical to thrive, The Crucible’s youth programs are an ever more essential part of our vision and mission. Learn more about our Youth Programs 2017 impact!
