Art lessons create leaders while anchoring families to their new home in North Carolina
For nearly two decades, FRANK Gallery's Youth Group has learned fine art skills from artist mentors and each other
FRANK Gallery is a contemporary fine arts gallery that features work by Triangle Area artists at 370 East Main Street in Carrboro. For the past 14 years, FRANK has taught drawing, painting, print making, sculpture, and other fine art skills to nearly 200 refugee and immigrant youth from Myanmar (Burma), Latin America, and other parts of the world. After participating in FRANK’s Youth Group, several students continued their arts education in formal degree programs. Currently, there are 10 students in the Youth Group, aged between 9 and 20.
Nerys Levy, a FRANK member artist, leads the facilitation of the group. She recalls how it started with a teacher at a local elementary school noticing that many of the Burmese children were drawing; it had been one of their few amusements in refugee camps. When they arrived in the U.S., they continued drawing but had few supplies. “The gallery gives the students a haven.” And they don’t dwell on the past. “We are creating leaders,” she said.
Each Sunday morning, students arrive at the gallery, set up tables, and assemble their materials and supplies. Adults prepare a meal for the students, they talk about the past week, and then they get to work. The students mainly work independently, seeking and receiving individual guidance from attending FRANK artists, including youth group alums, or other students as needed. Sometimes they take field trips to museums and bring students’ parents along.
At the end of each class, they have a constructive critique session during which students discuss the merits of each other’s work. On this particular day in May, there were suggestions about color mixing and how to paint a reflection in water.
Kero Blade, a current student, said about the group, “I think it’s a path to set you up for success, honestly. And it really pushes you to come out your comfort zone and just experiment with new things you probably have never done before. So I think it's a really fun experience for anyone that just wants to try, dabbling, and then they'll find something they’ll like.”
The current show displays their creations including paintings, drawings, and ceramic sheep.
James Htoo paints scenes from western Canada where he visits his grandparents each summer.
FRANK Emerging Artist, Lah Boh, said that his paintings are visual narratives. He uses symbolism connecting personal experience with a broader history to “explore how political decisions and shifting laws shape the emotional and social lives of individuals.”
A former student in FRANK’s Youth Group, he earned a BFA in oil painting from UNC Greensboro. After graduating, he returned to FRANK as an instructor for the Youth Group. He also works in The Makery, part of the North Carolina Children’s Museum.
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Lah Boh re-focused his creativity on political and controversial issues to “provoke conversation and spread awareness.”
You can see Lah Boh’s work and the Youth Group exhibit at FRANK Gallery through August 15.
