A collective of aspiring artists aged 13-25 will showcase their work on 31st July at an online digital gallery.
The young artists are part of the Unplugged series, an eight-week mentoring programme run by Positive Youth Foundation, Coventry City of Culture Trust and funded by Youth Music.
The mentoring programme started in the middle of lockdown as a way of combatting the major impact that COVID19 had on the arts and youth provision in the city.
The cohort of young artists were mentored by professional artists and educators and were asked to create work that was shaped by their experiences and to re-imagine how young people can use arts and culture to spread positive messages.
Their final work, which includes rap, poetry, visual art, photography and much more, responds to the themes of; the role of social media post lockdown, the importance of role models within creative industries and what life could look like after lockdown.
The work created will be shown in a digital gallery featured on the Coventry UK City of Culture website. There are also plans for a physical exhibition in the works.
Elizabeth Lawal, the producer on the project from Coventry City of Culture Trust, said; ‘Providing these young artists with the mentorship they needed to stay creative during lockdown has been incredibly rewarding.
We have seen real growth in the confidence of these artists, and we are now able to share their incredible talent with the wider community.’
Rashid Bhayat, Chief Executive of Positive Youth Foundation, said: “The project has been a huge success so far, and we have seen some excellent work created.
“The masterclasses have been based around everything from digital art and music to creative writing and storytelling.
“The project has taught us a new way of engaging with young people and demonstrated that technology and working online can be extremely positive. It is certainly something we will learn from and look to implement even after lockdown.”