“ Thirty years ago, what began an effort to fight graffiti in the SoDo neighborhood has become something much more; a movement to engage young people, artists, and communities in transforming our neighborhoods through art.” – Executive Director Amanda Hashagen at Brush & Brunch 2025

On October 5th, 2025, Urban ArtWorks celebrated 30 years of youth mentorship and public art at Brush & Brunch, held once again at the historic Washington Hall. The milestone event brought together artists, youth, partners, and supporters to reflect on three decades of impact — and to look ahead to the next chapter of empowering young artists through public art.

Guests enjoyed delicious food from Conscious Eatery and coffee drinks from Creature Coffee Co, as well as lively conversation, and the chance to create collaborative art designed by – 25 Brush & Brunch included Board Chair Elizabeth Hodges and Executive Director Amanda Hashagen. We also heard inspiring stories from youth artists Aylen Ek, Tassanee Hill, and Velvet Wu during a panel conversation facilitated by Middle and High School Program Manager, Inji Kamel.

Board Chair Elizabeth Hodges began our program, sharing: ”What drew me to Urban Artworks, and what makes today so meaningful for me is that Urban Artworks believes that art belongs to everyone. Whether it’s a mural that transforms a blank wall, or a youth led project that brings vibrancy to an entire community, our mission is rooted in collaboration, inclusion, and imagination.”

As in years past, guests had the opportunity to pick up a brush and contribute to community art projects, a tradition that captures the heart of Urban ArtWorks’ mission. This year our team members, professional teaching artists Dovey Martinez and Yasmine Kaner, each designed a piece to be painted by guests. Guests painted 4” x 4” squares that when joined together will form two completed paintings. Each painted square represents not only color and creativity, but also connections across generations of artists, community members and young people who have contributed to the city’s art landscape.

The celebration featured a live auction led by Auctioneer & Emcee Sasha Summer Cousineau of Revel Rouser Events.The event also featured a silent auction showcasing local art, experiences, and community partnerships. One of the auction items, “The Power of Color and Community,” a painting by teaching artist Felipe Pérez, incorporated colors and themes related to Urban ArtWorks.

Program Specialist Dovey Martinez and Project Director Alex Nason supported the live auction portion of the event. Following the auction, special guests Jeff and Raven Carroll shared about their experience of the program from the perspective of both a parent and youth artist. Jeff Carroll parent of Raven Carrol remarked,

 ”I was just amazed at the growth that we saw in Raven, because of this program and because of the way that the artists and the participants are treated kind of like adults and expected to get to and might make their way through transit….It was safe space and it was moderated by these great, amazing professionals.  It was just an incredible opportunity and we saw such huge growth in Raven’s confidence. All of their teachers in high school were just amazed at how much they were doing outside of high school.” – Jeff Carroll

A highlight of the afternoon was recognizing this year’s Volunteer of the Year, Josh Bell, a community member whose commitment to Urban ArtWorks has spanned years. Josh has been an important, constant member of our team for many years. He has been on our team longer than anyone, doing unseen but invaluable work designing our website, logos, and more. His work has been essential to our organization’s success.

Receiving the award, Josh shared about the importance of volunteering with Urban ArtWorks: “ I’m a first generation child of an illegal immigrant, who also found himself in quite a lot of trouble with the law as a teenager, and art was something that always was there to help me realize that there was a cool path around these types of things. And I always thought the organization was doing really cool, awesome work with kids who were from similar places as me.”

We’re deeply grateful to everyone who joined us for this special milestone. Your support ensures that we can continue to create meaningful opportunities for youth and artists — and build a more colorful, connected, and creative city for the next 30 years.

As Amanda went on to share: “ We’re not only creating murals, but we’re also helping sustain livelihoods, advancing equity in the arts, and ensuring that our public spaces truly reflect the diversity of our communities.