Estudio YAP
Time: Thursdays from 3 pm to 6 pm Location: 2600 North 5th Street
Estudio YAP (Youth Artist Program) is a free studio art program that empowers teens to express themselves, build creative skills, and grow as artists and entrepreneurs. Through workshop-style classes, students engage in semester-long projects while exploring different art disciplines. Each semester’s project is unique and encourages collaboration, creativity, and self-expression.
Each semester includes opportunities for hands-on creative learning, guest artist visits, and field trips to colleges, galleries, and studios that inspire students to connect with the wider art community.
Estudio also combines artistic growth with professional development, offering guidance in areas like portfolio building, website design, marketing, and branding for creatives. Participants may also join Photography Without Borders, where they develop photography skills and learn how to generate income through event photography.
Estudio is a welcoming community where teens gain the tools, support, and experience to lead their own artistic journey.
Interested in learning more about Estudio YAP?
What we Offer
Estudio YAP is a hands-on, workshop-style youth art program where teens learn by making, doing, and sharing. Students actively experiment, collaborate, and take creative risks alongside professional artists, building skills, confidence, and creative agency that extend beyond the studio.
2026 Programming
Masks as Presence and Power
This semester, students explore masks as tools that both conceal and command attention. Drawing from Latin American masking traditions—such as Puerto Rican vejigantes and festival cabezudos, youth examine how masks have long been used to amplify voice, assert identity, and reshape how bodies are seen in public space.
Through fiber arts and garment construction, students design bold, wearable characters rooted in personal and collective stories. The semester culminates in the collaborative creation of large-scale cabezudos, unveiled publicly at Feria del Barrio in September.
Students Will Learn:
- Punch needle, embroidery, and sewing techniques
- Garment construction and costume design fundamentals
- How to develop characters and visual narratives
- Collaboration and teamwork through large-scale projects
- Craftsmanship, problem-solving, and creative confidence
- How art, dress, and storytelling can be used to take up space and be seen
Vision
Estudio YAP envisions a generation of young artists who are confident, resourceful, and deeply connected to their creative voice and community. Through a hands-on, learn-by-doing approach, the program equips teens with artistic, cultural, and professional tools to thrive within Philadelphia’s creative economy and beyond. Estudio YAP recognizes multiple pathways to success, integrating workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and community-based artmaking, preparing students to build sustainable creative lives as artists, storytellers, and cultural leaders.
Studio Culture
Estudio YAP is a shared creative space where all voices are valued. We encourage collaboration, respect for diverse perspectives, and care for one another’s work and well-being. Students are expected to treat the studio itself with the same respect, caring for materials, cleaning up after themselves, and helping maintain a welcoming environment where creativity can thrive. Each student signs a code of conduct to keep themselves accountable to the culture of the space.
Our instructors
Lead Instructor
Richie Wilde López
Richie Wilde López is a textile artist and the Special Arts Program Coordinator at Taller Puertorriqueño. They are the founder of Duende Textile Studio, and their work has been featured in galleries throughout Philadelphia and beyond. Richie leads Estudio YAP and Tramando, centering hands-on, community-driven art-making.
Guest Teaching Artist
Tito Caba (Neury Caba)
Tito Caba (Neury Caba) is a master tailor and fashion designer with over 17 years of experience in bespoke menswear and womenswear. As the founder of Caba Bespoke, he is known for precision craftsmanship, refined design, and deep expertise in garment construction and fit. He is a community advocate and former Estudio YAP student.
Interested in learning more about Estudio YAP?
After-school programs are provided to participants at an income-based rate. With one-time registration fee of $30.00, payable in person by cash, check, or credit/debit card. Limited scholarships and financial assistance options are available. Contact us about any financial assistance needed. If you are interested in enrolling your children, please fill out the form below and we will be in contact.
For more information, contact Richie Lopez at rlopez@tallerpr.org or at 215-426-3311
Accessibility
The building is wheelchair accessible with 48″ wide ramps and 40″ doorways. Bathrooms stalls are wheelchair accessible. We also have a bathroom with a changing table for parents with infants. We will make efforts to make programs and services available to all our patrons no matter their needs. Please contact us at 215.426.3311 to discuss accommodations.
Student Ambassador Program
To further leadership development, three senior students will serve as Estudio YAP Ambassadors, taking ownership of two key initiatives:
● YAP Blog: Updated and maintained by the Student Ambassadors, the blog will document student projects through images, writing, and reflections. This serves as a public record of their creative process and teaches digital communication and archiving skills.
● YAP Zine: At the close of each program year, ambassadors will curate a “best of” printed zine from the blog entries. Each student receives a copy, and one is archived in Taller’s permanent collection, giving students a tangible legacy of their work.
This ambassador program develops long-term project management, editorial, and leadership skills, while offering students autonomy and visibility in a public forum.
