Cheers to Our Inaugural CAT Teen Council! 

May 1, 2025

On May 3, we celebrate the opening of a very special exhibition in our Focus Gallery. Spiral: A CAT Teen Council Exhibition was curated by the 2024-25 Teen Council and offers their unique perspectives on the museum’s collection. The teens chose an eclectic mix of ten objects, ranging from a giant glass dog to an unopened perfume bottle to a 12-hour-long video. They then wove together the objects using creative storytelling. 

The exhibition, on view through June 28, is the culmination of this year’s inaugural Teen Council program. Beginning in October 2024, six local high schoolers met once a month throughout the school year to learn about the CAT and what it’s like to work in an art museum. They met with museum staff, got behind-the-scenes tours, produced their own public program, and had the opportunity to connect with other like-minded teenagers both near and far.

Some highlights included:

A virtual meet-up with the Armenian Cafesjian Teen Council, a well–established and beloved program at the CAT’s sister museum, the Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Yerevan, Armenia.  

Sharing their artwork with young museum goers at a Story Time at the CAT program.

Hosting White Bear Center for the Arts’ Studio Repose interns at the CAT for an after-hours tour.

Facilitating Creativity at the CAT, a drop-in program for kids of all ages, featuring sketching, creative writing, story readings, and art demonstrations.

Selecting the objects and writing the texts for Spiral; making design choices for the exhibition installation and graphics.

The Teen Council program was truly a special experience, and everyone on the CAT team loved watching the teens flourish throughout the year. But you don’t have to take our word for it! Current Council member Sophia Tranberry shared that the program has “broadened my horizons as far as careers in the arts go, and gaining new experiences is always good for learning about what I want to do in life. I would definitely recommend this program to any high schoolers looking for a first job/paid internship.”   

The application for the 2025-26 CAT Teen Council has closed. We will recruit for the 2026-27 Council beginning in spring 2026.