Every kid deserves a safe, creative space to thrive. Your donation directly supports inclusive education programs that cultivate art, life, and job skills for hundreds of kids per year. Thank you for your support!
"As soon as I walk into DAVA, I feel like I'm able to leave all the heavy luggage of the outside world at the front door and enter into a whole new world of creativity and inclusivity. It is a special place where our shared love for creativity and art unites everyone, and that's a kind of bond you can't find anywhere else."
- Seline, age 15
"I've learned how to express myself in my art, but I also love how many different people come together to make group projects at DAVA. They teach us to respect and add everyone's ideas as a team."
-Ana, age 13
"DAVA expanded my world view. I'm learning skills that will help me in life, and being a part of Job Training has made me more accountable, responsible, and wise."
- Mikias, age 14
DAVA's mission is to engage diverse youth in meaningful arts education that sparks creativity, increases opportunity & strengthens community. We are the proud recipients of a 2014 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award.
DAVA was established in 1993 for the purpose of developing the arts as a positive social force, especially for underserved youth. DAVA's core values of inclusiveness and high-quality arts learning have driven 30 years of youth expression seen as a valuable resource within our community.
DAVA offers a supportive, creative environment for kids ages 3-18 to engage in four core art programs: Family Arts, a pre-school program for ages 3-6 and parents; the Open Studio, a drop-in, experimental space for elementary students after school; middle school Job Training in the Arts & Technology programs with more advanced arts learning and community involvement; and Creative Action by Teens with higher level skill-building designed for high school students. All youth participate in DAVA's Gallery exhibitions, which are open to the entire community. Outreach to underserved organizations and schools is extended through our Traveling Art School.
In 2016, we renovated our building, which now includes a new digital media lab and fully-equipped studios. This transformation created one of the premiere community arts facilities in the region. DAVA programs are offered year round (Monday through Friday), with longer hours during the summer.
What continues to set DAVA apart?
* National award-winning programs developed around the belief that the arts can increase opportunities for urban youth through a combination of arts learning and positive youth development. In 2014, we received a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award for using engagement in the arts to increase academic achievement, graduation rates and college enrollment.
* Challenging year-round project cycles that annually engage thousands of local youth ages 3 to 18 who use the arts to examine the environment, social change, and their community. Free programs are open to all kids, 48 weeks of the year.
* Cutting-edge curriculum built around issues that are relevant and meaningful to kids in our multi-cultural community. Youth inspire and inform the direction and themes of our work.
* Programs foster the development of valuable skills that are critical to achieving success in work and life in the 21st century.
* Evaluation that demonstrates the successful outcomes of our programs.
Organization name
Downtown Aurora Visual Arts
other names
DAVA
1993
Tax id (EIN)
84-1234219
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
1405 Florence St.Arapahoe County, CO, US
Adams County, CO, US
Denver, CO, US