Jun

ARTLAB+ brings the Awesome

From left, Lennon Walter Cantwell, Antoine Bonner and David Ross at the ARTLAB+ booth at Awesome Con. (Photo by Marilyn Epstein)

From left, Lennon Walter Cantwell, Antoine Bonner and David Ross at the ARTLAB+ booth at Awesome Con. (Photo by Cody Coltharp)

While fans might have mobbed William Shatner and George Takei at last week’s Awesome Con in Washington, D.C., they weren’t the only familiar faces at the premiere comic and pop culture convention. Lennon Walter Cantwell, Antoine Bonner and David Ross brought the Hirshhorn’s ARTLAB+ to the Con, where their art and 3D printing projects found a natural audience among the comic book heroes and fans who combine art and pop culture in their own extravagant costumes and personas.

ARTLAB+ is a free afterschool program where teens can socialize with friends, explore digital media and technical tools, take workshops to develop their interests and skills—and where they can “hang out, mess around, and geek out.” Mentors encourage the teens to explore their own interests, create their own learning trajectories, and foster their own values. ARTLAB+ strives to be a radically inclusive space, where teens can learn from each other’s differences in a welcoming and safe environment.