“Listen to Our Cries:” A show conceptualized and created by PlatteForum’s ArtLab Interns

This spring, PlatteForum presented Listen to Our Cries, a group show by a collective of young artists across multiple mediums and identities, PlatteForum’s own ArtLab Interns. PlatteForum's ArtLab is a paid arts and social justice internship for high school students living in the Denver metro area. Interns take workshops and create artwork with professional artists over the course of their high school career. Interns also receive food, mental health support, transportation (RTD passes) and tutoring support while in the program.  

ArtLab Intern, Emmanuel, in front of his fiber and sound pieces addressing gun violence in America.

Listen to our Cries opened on Friday, March 4th at The Savoy Gallery space: 2700 Arapahoe Street Denver, CO 80205, the show is billed as: A show by ArtLab students with a message to the world… This exhibition gave the ArtLab Interns a chance to create their own exhibition from scratch for the first time in several years. Interns chose the social justice topics to address in their creative works and collectively agreed upon Gun Control, Climate Change, and Identity. 

ArtLab Interns wrote this statement about their art exhibition:

“We are all part of PlatteForum’s ArtLab- a paid, high school arts internship program that provides a safe space, where our identities are nurtured and our crafts are honed.

ArtLab Interns, Jay (left) and Gabe (right), next to their pieces addressing identity.

This exhibit is our generation’s response to the world we are inheriting. Many aspects of our lives have been affected by the prominent reality of colonization and white supremacy. Through our exhibit, we express the ways we’ve been impacted by observing the inevitable effects of climate change, the everlasting results of gun violence, and the persecution of our identities.

We express our despair about these issues through individual and collaborative pieces of art. This generation is left grappling with issues of an impermanent future.”

ArtLab Intern, Maria, shares about the intern’s work at the opening night of “Listen to Our Cries.”

ArtLab Interns met with community leaders and professional artists weekly who specialized in each topic that they chose. ArtLab hosted Frankie Toan, Genevieve Waller, Lares Feliciano, Juan Evangelista, Moms Demand Action, and Green Latinos to discuss their focus areas.  They then took the knowledge gathered and synthesized their inspiration to create the works for their exhibition. Students were in charge of installing their works in the gallery with the support of PlatteForum’s staff. The ArtLab Interns were also interviewed for PlatteForum’s podcast entitled Art Moves, in conversation with artist Esther Hernandez.