Youth Art Exchange

Youth Art Exchange (YAX) sparks creativity, leadership, and community by connecting professional artists with San Francisco public high school students. Since 2000, YAX has provided free, high-quality arts education to more than 15,000 youth—primarily students of color and low-income families who are most impacted by inequitable access to the arts.

Through classes in architecture, animation, photography, printmaking, music production, fashion design, mural arts, and more, young people explore their identities, develop leadership skills, and collaborate with practicing artists. Our programs extend beyond the classroom, with youth-led exhibitions, public art projects, and performances that bring creative energy to neighborhoods across the city.

Your donation helps us:

• Provide free art programs to SF public high school students.
• Ensure youth have access to mentorship from working artists who reflect their communities.
• Support youth leadership through our Youth Advisory Board and student-led exhibitions.
• Sustain creative community spaces like our space arts hub in the Excelsior and studios in the Mission.
• Advance racial equity in the arts by prioritizing Black and Brown youth and hiring artists of color as faculty.

At YAX, we believe art changes lives. With your support, San Francisco’s next generation of artists and leaders can find their voice, share their vision, and shape a more creative and equitable future.