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Teen Council
MarinMOCA Teen Council
The Teen Council puts young people at the heart of the museum. Members are high school students from across Marin who work alongside artists, curators, and educators to shape exhibitions, design public programs, host social events and create work together. As a group they research, curate, experiment, and gather, opening the museum to their peers as a place to meet, think, and make. You do not need to be an artist, or to have any experience at all. Just come curious.
What unites the group is a shared interest in:
❋ Contemporary art and visual culture
❋ Working collaboratively with peers
❋ Exploring big ideas through creative practice
❋ Helping shape a museum that feels welcoming and relevant to teens
Join the Teen Council
Join the Teen Council. We welcome high school students from across Marin who are curious about art, culture, design, writing, photography, social issues, or event planning. No previous experience is needed, only a desire to get creative, experiment, and collaborate. Members commit to monthly meetings plus three additional museum wide events between August and April, and receive a $200 stipend. Applications for the 2026 cohort are open now.
Follow us on Instagram @MarinMOCATeens for updates.
Why It Matters
Research from leading museums shows that teen programs like this leave a lasting mark, building confidence, communication skills, and a lifelong sense of belonging in cultural spaces. When young people are trusted as collaborators rather than treated as an audience, they gain agency, discover new career paths, and learn to express their ideas with clarity.
For MarinMOCA, the Teen Council ensures that young voices are part of the museum's present and its future. At a time when teens are navigating academic pressure, social fragmentation, and climate anxiety, the council offers something rare: meaningful participation, creative leadership, and a sense of ownership over public space. Teen leadership does not only benefit teens. It strengthens the museum and the community as a whole.
Our First Year
In its first year, the pilot council established itself as a real creative force within the museum. Members founded the first Teen Council in Marin and grew it from six to twenty, securing the funding to carry the program forward. They worked with leading artists and curators, created a shared exhibition within the galleries, and produced two public events that welcomed more than 110 visitors. Along the way they launched the council's own Instagram and built lasting relationships with schools across the county.
Who is in the Teen Council?
The council brings together high school students from across Marin County with a wide range of backgrounds, schools, and interests. Members do not need to be artists or art experts. What unites them is curiosity, an openness to others, and a shared interest in contemporary art, in working closely with their peers, and in helping shape a museum that feels welcoming and relevant to young people.Stay tuned for dates and details!
