Brooklyn YAS Art Collective 2026 Collective Metamorphosis Collective Metamorphosis presents mixed media works by artists Saira Burgos, Tsaia Dawson, Evan Gonzalez, Daniel Gordon, Mars Harris, Murad Hazhibayev, and Claudia Sanchez-Jean. Created through workshops from February to May with teaching artists Yolande Delius, Meli Holdipp, Angela Muriel, Ameirah Neal, Cameron Ringness, and Ed Woodham, the exhibition reflects a shared process shaped by experimentation, dialogue, and growth. We emerge by breaking imposed norms, transforming through one of the most radical acts: becoming our true essence through metamorphosis. Working across drawing, painting, digital, and mixed media, the artists trace this process of change. Each work holds evidence of transformation, not as a final state but as something ongoing. The artists approach identity as fluid and continually unfolding. They claim the freedom to become in ways that challenge dominant expectations, centering voices often pushed to the margins. Queer identity, the experiences of immigrant communities, and questions of displacement appear throughout the exhibition as layered and intersecting realities. Collective Metamorphosis is both a culmination and a beginning. It brings together a journey across different mediums, shaped by collaboration as much as individual exploration. The exhibition reflects a group of young queer artists with distinct perspectives that come together to form a vibrant whole. Metamorphosis here is grounded in lived experience, in the courage to question, and in the act of making. Through growth, risk, and creation, these artists offer a clear and resonant reflection on what it means to transform together. The Brooklyn Youth Against Substance Misuse (YAS) Coalition Art Collective Collective Metamorphosis is sponsored by the Brooklyn YAS Coalition, which is committed to creating community-level change to prevent substance misuse in LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in Brooklyn. Brooklyn YAS is a coalition of organizations, agencies, businesses, parents, and LGBTQ+ youth and young adults working to create safe, affirming spaces; instill physical and psychological safety; reduce family conflict and rejection; and increase community attachment for LGBTQ+ youth. The Arts Collective, which took place at Groundswell Community Mural Project, was facilitated over eight consecutive weeks by queer artists coaching students in different mediums. By providing outlets for artistic expression, Brooklyn YAS aims to helps LGBTQ+ youth and young adults explore their identities and find community in safe, affirming, substance-free spaces. About the Artists: Saira Burgos BIO Saira Burgos is a Dominican mixed-media artist based in New York. Her practice is rooted in visual experimentation, moving fluidly between drawing, painting, and layered material processes. Each piece is approached as a site of exploration, where form and imagery evolve through the act of making. Her work ce...
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