Youth Art Programs
Freeport Art Museum, 121 North Harlem Avenue, Freeport, IL 61032
About
Youth Art Programs include SmArt After School, a multi-disciplinary program that integrates the arts into existing after school programs at the Freeport Boys and Girls Club and at the SACC sites with the YMCA. The aRT EXPLORERS program provides exposure to a variety of art-making media and techniques. Kids Summer Art Workshops (Summer Art Workshops) focus on igniting children’s creativity through art activities.
• Price: Admission to the museum is by donation. Suggested Donation: Adult $3, Senior $2, Student $2, Family $10.
The Youth Art Programs are part of the Freeport Art Museum, which was established in 1975 and operates outreach youth programs and supports the performing arts through partnerships with several community organizations. The museum developed an arts-based civic plaza in the downtown that features a multi-purpose stage for performances, a splash pad for free summer recreation, and works of public art, and it is renovating a historic building adjacent to this plaza to provide a new home for the museum and to be the cornerstone of an arts and culture campus in the downtown district. The museum offers programs for all ages, including classes, workshops and camps, and is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, operating as a private, not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.
The Youth Art Programs are led within an organization whose leadership team includes Executive Director Jessica Modica, Director of Programs and Exhibitions Sarah Tapper, Assistant Director Stacy Kutz-Deline, and a board with officers and members including Board President Aaron Mercier, Board Vice President Josh Elliott, Board Treasurer Karen Kleckner, Board Secretary Nancy Heyen, and board members Vanessa Hughes, Jennifer Lee, Tim Mahoney, Joy Sellers, Shannon Wenzel, Jon Palmer, and Andrew Reeter. Executive Director Jessica Modica has a background in Art History and Museum Studies, with a B.A. in Art History from Texas State University, graduate studies in Art History from Northern Illinois University, and a graduate certificate in Museum Studies from Northern Illinois University. Director of Programs and Exhibitions Sarah Tapper has a BA in Art with a specialization in art therapy, art history studies in Rome, and a Master's in Museum Studies. The museum’s mission is to create experiences that spark imagination and engagement in the arts for all people by presenting exhibitions and cultural events, advancing arts education and excelling in collections stewardship.
Last updated May 23, 2026.
• Price: Admission to the museum is by donation. Suggested Donation: Adult $3, Senior $2, Student $2, Family $10.
The Youth Art Programs are part of the Freeport Art Museum, which was established in 1975 and operates outreach youth programs and supports the performing arts through partnerships with several community organizations. The museum developed an arts-based civic plaza in the downtown that features a multi-purpose stage for performances, a splash pad for free summer recreation, and works of public art, and it is renovating a historic building adjacent to this plaza to provide a new home for the museum and to be the cornerstone of an arts and culture campus in the downtown district. The museum offers programs for all ages, including classes, workshops and camps, and is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, operating as a private, not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.
The Youth Art Programs are led within an organization whose leadership team includes Executive Director Jessica Modica, Director of Programs and Exhibitions Sarah Tapper, Assistant Director Stacy Kutz-Deline, and a board with officers and members including Board President Aaron Mercier, Board Vice President Josh Elliott, Board Treasurer Karen Kleckner, Board Secretary Nancy Heyen, and board members Vanessa Hughes, Jennifer Lee, Tim Mahoney, Joy Sellers, Shannon Wenzel, Jon Palmer, and Andrew Reeter. Executive Director Jessica Modica has a background in Art History and Museum Studies, with a B.A. in Art History from Texas State University, graduate studies in Art History from Northern Illinois University, and a graduate certificate in Museum Studies from Northern Illinois University. Director of Programs and Exhibitions Sarah Tapper has a BA in Art with a specialization in art therapy, art history studies in Rome, and a Master's in Museum Studies. The museum’s mission is to create experiences that spark imagination and engagement in the arts for all people by presenting exhibitions and cultural events, advancing arts education and excelling in collections stewardship.
Last updated May 23, 2026.
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