![DeAnna Cummings is the executive director of Juxtaposition Arts, a youth-oriented, non-profit visual arts center in North Minneapolis.] Joey McLeister,Special to the Star Tribune,Minneapolis,MN October19,2013](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/V3G7FM3SLK35I44SZQUZE7U5JQ.jpg?&w=1080)
Juxtaposition Arts
612-588-1148; juxtapositionarts.org
DeAnna Cummings is executive director and co-founder of Juxtaposition Arts, a youth education program, teen-staffed design firm and art center in north Minneapolis. Teens who have completed the visual-arts literacy program can apply for paid jobs with Juxtaposition in graphic design, contemporary arts, environmental design and screen printing.
Q: Why is your work important?
A: Juxtaposition Arts seeks to awaken youth's self-value so they can think and act based on their individual and collective strengths. We make the discipline and joy of artistic practice relevant to the lives of the youth, artists, and communities we serve. Youth who are involved in the arts do better in school and life, and communities with a high arts presence are more vibrant, livable, stable communities.
Q: What is your biggest accomplishment?
A: Launching the JXTALab Teen-Staff Design Program in 2010. We've employed about 130 youths, going into fourth year, and we have 42 clients. We create logos, brochures, posters, fliers, T-shirts, pocket parks, public sculptures, murals. Before 2010, you could take a drawing class, a painting workshop or participate in a workshop on customizing sneakers, but we didn't have a formal pathway for young folks to use those education experiences to shape future careers in art and design or entrepreneurship. Our goal is for a triple bottom-line impact: it helps young people's development, brings in revenue for our organization and makes an impact on the community.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you've faced?
A: Growing into a long-lived community art institution. We've shifted our programming from an after-school enrichment model to an employment-and-training business model. The other big challenge is sharing with the community and clients the depth and breadth of what we do, the services we provide. A lot of people haven't caught up to the fact that we're a business that employs teens in art and design services, and that we're a gallery and a center with studio spaces for artists.
