About Youth
Art Exchange
Who We Are
Youth Art Exchange (YAX) is a San Francisco–based community arts organization and creative hub with two locations serving youth, artists, and neighbors across the city.
For more than 20 years, YAX has centered free, high-quality arts programming for public high school students, supporting youth as artists, leaders, and thinkers. Today, we have grown into a center-based organization — expanding access to the arts through shared creative spaces that welcome people of all ages while keeping youth leadership at the heart of everything we do.
We believe the arts are essential to personal expression, community connection, and collective well-being. At YAX, creativity is not a luxury — it is a public good.
Our Mission
Youth Art Exchange sparks shared creative practice between professional artists, public high school students, and the broader community, fostering youth leadership, artistic growth, and equitable access to the arts across generations in San Francisco.
Our Vision
We envision a city where every young person has a voice, agency, and access to the arts — and where creative spaces bring people together across generations, cultures, and lived experiences.
We believe that engaging in the arts at a pivotal age gives youth tools to express themselves, exchange ideas, and shape the world around them. When artists and young people create side by side, they build community, resilience, and a more connected San Francisco.
Simply put: art changes lives.
What We Do
Youth Art Exchange operates as a community arts center, offering creative opportunities that support youth, artists, and the broader public.
Youth Programs (at our core)
Our free afterschool programs for public high school students remain the foundation of our work. Youth collaborate with professional artists to develop technical, creative, and leadership skills while using art as a tool for self-expression and civic engagement.
Community Arts & Adult Programming
Across our two locations, YAX hosts artist-led adult classes and workshops, weekly Afro-Brazilian drumming meet-ups, rotating exhibitions featuring local artists, and monthly community gatherings such as drawing nights, open-mic nights, and textile art drop-in events.
Youth Camps
YAX also offers summer camp programming for 3rd–5th grade students, introducing younger youth to hands-on art-making in a supportive, joyful environment.
Exhibitions & Public Events
Our galleries and communal spaces host rotating exhibitions and free seasonal events, including community celebrations and makers markets that invite neighbors, families, and artists to gather, create, and connect.
Who We Serve
Youth Art Exchange serves San Francisco youth, artists, and community members across generations.
We primarily serve public high school students, the majority of whom are youth of color, and our staff and faculty reflect the communities we work with. Racial equity is central to how we design programs, build partnerships, and invest resources.
Beyond youth programming, our centers welcome adult learners, working artists, families, cultural practitioners, and neighbors seeking creative connection, skill-building, and community. Whether someone is attending a class, joining a drum circle, exhibiting work, or dropping into a community event, YAX is a place to belong.
We believe creativity thrives when it is shared — and we are committed to building spaces where everyone has access to the arts.
Our Values
Racial Equity: We prioritize equity in access, leadership, hiring, and program design.
Youth Leadership: Young people are creators, collaborators, and cultural contributors.
Shared Creative Practice: Artists and community members learn and make together.
Access & Belonging: Our spaces are welcoming, inclusive, and community-centered.
Art as Civic Engagement: Creativity is a powerful tool for expression, connection, and change.
Ways to get involved with YAX
Youth Advisory Board
For current YAX students
YAX students enrolled in our programs can apply to join the Youth Advisory Board (YAB), a paid leadership opportunity for young people who want to help shape the organization. YAB members collaborate with staff on programming and operations, attend meetings, and lead events and creative projects. This is a chance for youth to build leadership skills, gain professional experience, and have a real voice in how YAX grows.
Support our Work
YAX thrives through the support of individuals, businesses, and organizations who believe in equitable access to the arts. There are many ways to support our work — through donations, sponsorships, partnerships, or creative collaborations. Whether you’re interested in funding a program, partnering on an event, or exploring a shared project, we’d love to connect.
Volunteer
YAX welcomes high school students and adults who want to support youth-centered creative spaces and community arts programming. Volunteers assist with a wide range of projects, including student outreach and recruitment, supporting staff and faculty with special projects, and helping at community events, exhibitions, and seasonal programs.
Opportunities vary throughout the year, and there are many ways to get involved. Whether you’re looking to contribute your time, skills, or energy, we’re always glad to welcome new volunteers into the YAX community.