Teen Blog

The Anti-Hero Short Film Festival, creates a space for teens to share and celebrate perspectives, narratives, and experiences that have been left out of history by highlighting the voices of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQI+communities returned for a second year - this time at MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater. Co-created by two former participants in MCA Denver’s teen leadership programs, Clarise Reichley and Soah Blake, the teen film festival shines a spotlight on the creative teen voices within the Denver community.
This year, Denver artist, experimental filmmaker, and naturalist, Eileen Roscina, was invited to be a guest artist and juror for the teen film festival. Eileen’s work examines human’s spiritual and social (dis)connection with nature and seeks to raise questions about realizing a radically different metaphoric mapping of time, space, and our place in the world. I had the pleasure of emailing Eileen to learn more about her practice as a storyteller through film.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver Failure Award Scholarship awards over $25,000 in college scholarships to a Colorado high school senior who demonstrates and embraces the spirit of creative risk-taking in the pursuit of something new. While so much of student life is focused on achievement, MCA Denver believes that in order to create something original and authentic, it is necessary to risk failure. The Failure Award Scholarship is based on documentation of a project the student created or produced while in high school that demonstrates originality and creativity. Soah Blake from Denver, CO is this year’s 2022 recipient of the Failure Award Scholarship. A budding filmmaker and screenwriter, Soah represents what it means to take risks for creative self-expression and storytelling.

The Anti-Hero Short Film Festival returns this year and in-person at MCA at the Holiday Theater on Friday, April 22nd. The teen film festival is organized by Clarise Reichley and Soah Blake, former cohorts of MCA Denver teen leadership programs and last year's organizers. This year, the group has grown to include MCA Denver Offhand interns, Michael Kibuuka, and Olivia MacLeod.
I emailed the group to learn more about this year's event that seeks to share and celebrate perspectives, narratives, and experiences that have been left out of history by highlighting the voices of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

MCA Denver loves teens! We like to celebrate their amazingness, their willingness to take risks, and of course, the cool and unique ways they express themselves creatively. We like to feature creative works submitted by teens in our community on this blog. Below are recent submissions by Piper Moss, Chloe Rios, and Elijah Morgan.

MCA Denver loves teens and celebrates their amazingness, their willingness to take risks, and of course, the cool and unique ways they express themselves creatively. We like to feature creative works submitted by teens in our community on this blog. Below are recent submissions by J Nick Crow, Finn Hilty, and Jennie Simonson, all from Denver.

MCA Denver loves teens and celebrates their amazingness, their willingness to take risks, and of course, the cool and unique ways they express themselves creatively. Periodically we like to feature creative works submitted by teens in our community on this blog. Below are recent submissions by Ayden Mullen of Aurora, CO, Grace Clausen of Castle Rock, CO, and Camille Guse of Littleton, CO.

MCA Denver loves teens and celebrates their amazingness, their willingness to take risks, and of course, the cool and unique ways they express themselves creatively. Periodically we like to feature creative works submitted by teens in our community on this blog. Below are recent submissions by E.C. Davis of Aurora, CO, Stephanie Karr of Aurora, CO, and Josiah Antonio Ray Badial of Pueblo, CO.

MCA Denver loves teens and celebrates their amazingness, their willingness to take risks, and of course, the cool and unique ways they express themselves creatively. Periodically we like to feature creative works submitted by teens in our community on this blog. Below are recent submissions by E.C. Davis of Aurora, CO, Stephanie Karr of Aurora, CO, and Josiah Antonio Ray Badial of Pueblo, CO.

MCA Denver loves teens and celebrates their amazingness, their willingness to take risks, and of course, the cool and unique ways they express themselves creatively. Periodically we like to feature creative works submitted by teens in our community on this blog. Below are recent submissions by E.C. Davis of Aurora, CO, Stephanie Karr of Aurora, CO, and Josiah Antonio Ray Badial of Pueblo, CO.

In this feature, we’re sharing the work of Lydia Donahue. In Lydia’s series of photographs, she examines human connection through eye contact. She notes that although eye contact may be taught in the socialization process to the point of berating those who don’t engage in it, the possibilities of holding another’s gaze are great and can offer respite and deep resonance amid feelings of sadness and isolation.

We wanted to share teen Melody Elizalde’s film titled, Waves. This short animation might just transport you to a different time or place. Take a few minutes to watch and rewatch Melody’s highly imaginative film, that’s set in a dreamlike, otherworldly landscape where a different kind of reality and new possibilities are made visible.

The following poems explore the possibilities of poetry, and how the medium is able to work in ways that even the most generous prose may not be able to. While prose may limit the author or the reader, poetry offers an expansive, metaphorical landscape where the human condition may be exposed. These three poems by wonderfully creative teens examine friendship, paradox, and self-discovery.

Step into summer by watching this video created by Evonne Johnson, titled hot chocolate in the summertime—a video that she says visually describes what makes her happy around her home. This work is a video compilation of quiet moments around Evonne’s home, ranging from knuckles cracking, a clip of various Harkins Theatre movie tickets, and almost-sheer white curtains moving softly in a warmly lit room.