Arts education needs a serious refresh.
Sure, a ‘C’ chord is still a ‘C’ chord. An 8-count is still eight counts. Red and blue still make purple. But we have to acknowledge the gap between conventional arts education and our students that’s growing wider every year. Yeah, Art! modernizes arts education to reflect today’s culture, technology and most importantly — our students.
Art is an endangered subject.
Yeah, Art! is based in Oakland, California, where schools face $30 milion in budget cuts in 2025. Arts programs are often the first to be sacrificed in these cuts. Yeah, Art! provides an accessible solution to keep art in classrooms, with a focus in the low-income districts that need our services the most.
Arts education is not diverse enough.
Not even close. Across history, text books have erased the contributions of people of color. This is glaringly apparent in arts education, with European artists and western conventions being celebrated as the ideal. Yeah, Art! centers the work of underrepresented artists, exposing the next generation to new creative heroes.
Our commitments
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Whitney Houston said it best: “We believe the children are our future.” As Big Kids, we want to work for our students one day. So we encourage #boss behavior — building the next generation of Chiefs, Presidents, and Executive Creative Directors to lead with radical empathy.
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There’s a reason crayons come in packs. The range of shades, experiences, orientations, and abilities is what makes a piece of art beautiful. At Yeah, Art!, we don’t create with just one color. We showcase the full spectrum of our staff and students, celebrating what makes each of us uniquely spectacular.
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Find out what it means to us! We think the Queen of Soul would agree with our Golden Rule: treat others as we wish to be treated. We listen with open minds and hearts, welcome different points of view, and leave space for healthy debate — knowing we won’t always agree, and why that matters.
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The sky isn’t the limit — it’s just the beginning. Notice how our logo kind of looks like a cloud? That’s a reminder to aim high. We hold the highest standards for our staff, students, and classrooms. We nurture brave imaginations, encouraging young creatives to dream even bigger.
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A great choir blends into one voice — but what makes it beautiful are the individual voices in that blend. At Yeah, Art!, we embrace contrast. We encourage young artists to be loud and proud in their cultural expression.
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In the words of Erykah Badu, “We’re artists and we’re sensitive about our STUFF!” Even the fiercest creatives have alter egos to push past the fear of sharing their work. We help young artists build boldness in their expression — growing self-esteem that carries into every part of life.
Watch our cartoon manifesto!
Built by artists. Backed by data.
Overwhelming evidence shows engaging students in the arts leads to better performance across all subjects, higher attendance, stronger social skills, greater self esteem among countless other benefits.
90%
Schools with music education showed a 90.2% graduation rate, compared to 72.9% graduation rate in schools without music education. [1]
4x
Students who participate in the arts are 4x more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and science fair or to win an award for writing an essay or poem. [3]
94%
Schools with music education showed a 93.9% student attendance, compared to 84.9% attendance in schools without music education. [1]
4%
Students of low socioeconomic status with a high participation in the arts have a drop-out rate of 4% compared to a 22% for their peers. Students with high arts participation more likely to remain in school and participate actively in the classroom. [3]
97%
97% of business leaders rate creativity as an increasingly important and desirable trait in the U.S. workplace, but 85% of these employers say that can’t find the creative applicants they seek. [3]
3x
Students of low socioeconomic status who have high exposure to the arts have better academic outcomes, set higher career goals, and become more civically engaged. They are 3x more likely to earn a bachelor's degree than their peers with little or no access to the arts. [2]
[1] The National Association for Music Education, Music Makes the Grade
[2] National Endowment for the Arts, The Arts and Achievement in At-risk Youth
[3] Americans For The Arts, Living The Arts Through Language and Learning