Exit Interview: Archana Gurudu, AZ Youth Arts Council Youth Coordinator

How did you first learn about the Youth Arts Council? What attracted you to the opportunity?  

I was first introduced to the Youth Arts Council three years ago on the commission’s social media. Among its many perks—including a stipend to honor members’ contributions and the chance to distribute a grant to other young artists—I was most drawn to the council’s emphasis on a community lens to the arts. During art classes at school, I had grown well-versed with charcoal techniques and the famous works of Renaissance portrait painters; what I had lacked, however, was a fundamental understanding of how the arts, across disciplines and cultures, could sustain human connection. Through dissecting arts policy and education access on the council, I hoped to understand the “why” behind creating, both in fellow council members’ personal lives and in the broader well-being of Arizona’s communities and economy.  

Looking back on your years serving on the council and then acting as coordinator this past year, what experiences or lessons stand out as most impactful or memorable? 

One of my favorite discussions on the council intentionally occurs early in the program. Each year, Paula Ortega, co-founder at the RE:Frame Youth Arts Center, speaks on adultism, defined as a bias against young people favoring the knowledge and power of adults. During our conversation, we delve into the prevalence of adultism across spaces within and beyond the arts, while also discussing tools to magnify youth-led decision-making, like Roger Hart’s Ladder of Participation. Adultism, an initially foreign-sounding term, has since become critical to my understanding of fair, engaging K-12 arts education. It also provides key context to our work on the Youth Arts Council, with our Creative Youth Grant review and collaborative media project being entirely youth-led.  

This year, transitioning to a coordinating role has been a rewarding opportunity to interact with the council from a new angle. A takeaway I’ve carried from constructing this year’s program with Chaz, our Arts Learning Coordinator, and Tai, our Arts Learning Specialist, has been the importance of making our curriculum flexible to member feedback. Reflections on past program cycles and suggestions from current members were drivers of the changes we made to grant review procedures or guest speakers. I’m excited to watch the program continue evolving in the coming years through many more feedback loops.  

The Youth Arts Council is made up of a diverse group of young people from across the state. Can you talk a little about the experience of working with peers from different backgrounds and communities? Do you plan to keep in touch with anyone you met on the Council? 

The Youth Arts Council is unique for its ability to pair tangible concepts like grant making and state arts budgets with less tangible (yet equally important) skills, like stepping into other points of view or recognizing inequity. Because our members exist across cultures, identity labels, artistic disciplines, and Arizona counties, the council enables critical dialogue on the different ways art can be made or defined. In turn, as a member, I found myself redefining “art” repeatedly. After meeting young actors, jewelry makers, and poets, I recognized that art couldn’t be boxed into a single discipline. Likewise, after meeting young artists who were refining a skill, seeking community, or preserving a cultural tradition, I recognized that art couldn’t be boxed into a single purpose, either.  

Joining a diverse group of young people also meant encountering varying levels of access to arts education. As we discussed fellow members’ experiences with arts educator shortages or commute barriers to local programs, our lessons on arts policy or federal funding for the arts grew more human-centered; after all, barriers to the Arts and Culture sector existed on our very own Zoom call.  

While many of us are separated by distance, I’ve formed relationships on the council that I hope to never lose. Social media has been a great way for us to stay connected.  

What’s next for you? Do you expect to remain engaged with the arts? What lessons are you taking with you from your time on the Youth Arts Council? 

The arts are central to my identity, and I couldn’t imagine a college experience without them. At Duke University this fall, I plan to pursue a Visual Arts minor and continue asking new artistic questions. Within Durham arts communities, I hope to advocate for creative youth engagement, carry an openness to unfamiliar artistic practices, and seek to democratize access to the arts—all of which are priorities the Youth Arts Council has instilled in me.