Artivism: Vision & Voice
FREE Environmental Arts & Community Leadership Program
Fall 2026 | Presented by Water Warrior Alliance
Explore. Create. Lead. Inspire.
Vision & Voice is a City of St. Petersburg program
What if your artwork began with an adventure?
Imagine exploring Tampa Bay by boat, learning to fish from local experts, creating authentic Japanese Gyotaku fish prints, helping remove pollution from local waterways, transforming recovered materials into wearable art, building a giant pelican sculpture, and showcasing your work in a professional public art exhibition.
Welcome to Artivism: Vision & Voice—a one-of-a-kind semester-long experience where middle school students combine creativity, environmental action, STEM, and community leadership while discovering the beauty and importance of Tampa Bay.
Throughout the Fall semester, students participate in a series of Adventure Days and Creative Studio Nights, with each experience building upon the last. Along the way, they'll meet local artists, marine scientists, captains, environmental educators, and conservation professionals while creating artwork inspired by real-world experiences.
Students will experience:
🚤 Eco Tour & Wildlife Exploration
🎣 Fishing & Marine Science Adventure
🐟 Authentic Japanese Gyotaku Printmaking
🌊 Watergoat Cleanup & Macro Plastics Lab
🎨 Ocean Sweep Upcycled Art Studio
🦩 Wings of Change Collaborative Pelican Sculpture
🪸 Glow Up Community Reef Project
💎 Wearable Environmental Art
🐚 Shell Art & Coastal Creations
📖 Environmental Storytelling & Digital Media
Throughout the semester, students will build artistic skills, strengthen leadership and teamwork, develop a professional artist portfolio, and explore careers in environmental science, marine conservation, education, and the arts.
The program culminates with the Artivism: Vision & Voice Giving Tuesday Youth Art Showcase, where students become exhibiting artists—professionally displaying and presenting the artwork they created throughout the semester to family, friends, community members, local artists, environmental professionals, and civic leaders.
Following the showcase, select collaborative artwork may continue to be exhibited at community events, extending the impact of students' creativity and environmental leadership beyond the classroom.
Artivism: Vision & Voice is designed as a semester-long program, and students are encouraged to participate in every session as each adventure, workshop, and collaborative project builds toward the final showcase.
Ready to become an Artivist?
Join us this Fall and discover how creativity, adventure, and environmental action can come together to make a lasting impact on our community—and on you.
ARTIVISM: VISION & VOICE
Presented By: Water Warrior Alliance
FREE Fall 2026 Environmental Arts & Community Leadership Program
Back to School 2026/2027 Program Schedule
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Session 1 | 9:00–10:30 AM
Artivism Kickoff & Creative Exploration Lab
Students are welcomed into the Environmental Arts & Community Leadership Program while enjoying light refreshments. During the kickoff, students receive their Artivism workbooks, create artist profiles, establish digital portfolios, design vision boards, begin environmental journals, and learn about the Giving Tuesday Youth Art Showcase.
Session 2 | 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
Eco Tour & Wildlife Exploration
Students participate in an educational eco tour exploring Tampa Bay while observing dolphins, birds, fish, mangroves, estuaries, and local wildlife through photography, sketching, journaling, and environmental observation.
12:00–1:00 PM
Lunch, reflection, portfolio updates, group discussion, and parent pick-up.
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Session 3 | 9:00–10:30 AM
Fishing Experience & Marine Science
Students participate in a guided fishing experience from the St. Pete Pier or aboard a charter vessel (if available) while learning responsible fishing practices, fish identification, marine habitats, conservation, and the Reel In & Recycle monofilament program.
Session 4 | 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
Gyotaku Printmaking Studio
Students create authentic Gyotaku prints while learning fish anatomy, scientific observation, traditional Japanese printmaking, marine biodiversity, and the connection between art and science.
12:00–1:00 PM
Lunch, reflection, portfolio updates, and parent pick-up.
Friday, September 25, 2026
5:00–7:00 PM
Session 5 – Ocean Sweep Art Studio
Students transform recovered marine debris into environmental artwork by creating either an upcycled propeller sculpture or mixed-media environmental canvas while exploring creative reuse, pollution prevention, and environmental storytelling.
Friday, October 9, 2026
5:00–7:00 PM
Session 6 – Wings of Change
Collaborative Pelican Sculpture
Students assist in constructing the collaborative pelican sculpture while learning about seabird conservation, wildlife rehabilitation, marine debris, fishing line entanglement, light pollution, and public art.
Friday, October 23, 2026
5:00–7:00 PM
Session 7 – Glow Up Community Reef Project
Students create a Glowing collaborative coral reef mural using recycled materials, reclaimed plastics, bottle caps, shells, and mixed-media artwork while exploring coral reef ecosystems, biodiversity, and the importance of healthy marine habitats.
Saturday, November 7, 2026
Session 8 | 9:00–10:30 AM
Watergoat Cleanup & Macro Plastics Lab
Students participate in a Watergoat cleanup while documenting marine debris, collecting macro plastics, learning about stormwater systems, watersheds, plastic pollution, community science, and environmental stewardship.
Session 9 | 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
Coastal Creations Studio
Using materials collected during the cleanup, students create:
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Wearable environmental art
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Shell art
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Jewelry
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Wind chimes
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Environmental charms
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Mixed-media coastal artwork
Students learn how recovered materials can become meaningful artwork that inspires environmental stewardship and community action.
12:00–1:00 PM
Lunch, reflection, portfolio photography, artist statements, and parent pick-up.
Saturday, November 21, 2026
9:00AM–1:00 PM
Session 10 – Youth Storytelling & Showcase Production
Students complete:
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Artist statements
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"Write Your Own Story" comic activity
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Environmental storytelling
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Digital portfolio updates
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Video interviews
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Table tents
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Display labels
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Gallery layout
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Public speaking practice
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Final exhibit installation
Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Artivism: Vision & Voice Giving Tuesday Youth Art Showcase
Students proudly present their artwork, collaborative installations, Gyotaku prints, environmental storytelling projects, wearable art, shell creations, portfolios, and community leadership accomplishments while celebrating their semester with families, community members, local artists, environmental professionals, and City representatives.
Saturday, March 6, 2027
CommUNITY Festival
Presented by Stronger Together St. Pete Foundation
The Glow Up Community Reef Project, collaboratively designed and created by Artivism: Vision & Voice youth participants, will be featured as a community art during the CommUNITY Festival. Students will have the opportunity to discuss their work, engage with the public, express the environmental inspiration behind the project, and celebrate how collaborative art can strengthen communities while promoting ocean conservation, environmental stewardship, and civic pride.
FREE
Vision & Voice is a City of St. Petersburg program
-Zulay, FL
“I learned about Watergoats and how about 80% of water pollution is actually from storm drains ”
Rudolpho, FL
“Art can be made from anything I learned that pollution happens often and is easy to occur but a huge important task to correct..” - “Art can be made from anything I learned that pollution happens often and is easy to occur but a huge important task to correct..”
Sanaia, FL
“How uplifting the adults were to everyone because that made the kids feel there was no shame in being yourself or different than someone else..”
