Teens

The MOCA Teen Program comprises high school students—juniors and seniors—who are paid to learn about contemporary art and the museum by collaborating on projects, working with artists, and meeting with museum professionals. A MOCA Teen might work with one or more local artists, as well as planning and executing an in-person Teen Night event, online components for Virtual Teen Night, and management of a social media account. This group of arts-interested students will meet at MOCA on Thursday nights and some weekends to work together and support each other on a journey of self-discovery. Please note that contemporary art can involve viewers in exploring imagery and concepts that may elicit confusion and/or discomfort. We view this as an opportunity to learn and we take care to ensure that discussions about difficult topics are constructive and growth-oriented.

Applications for the 2025-26 program are now open! Download the application HERE. Complete and return the application before midnight on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to jespinosa@moca.org.

We are only accepting online applications. For more information, you can contact jespinosa@moca.org and mantonisse@moca.org

Thanks for coming to MOCA Teen Night 2025: Arrive/Depart, a free event created by teens for teens!

A special thank you to our guest performers: Flailing Idiot, Cole Violet, and Saint Joan!, to all the participating visual artists: Charlene Tsai, Joscelyn Courtenay, Danielle Green, Sascha Camacho, Coco Lamoureux, Jordan Steele, Katie Lew, Sian Smith, Ume Judge-Glascock, Calvin Buddemeyer, and Audrey Kim.

MOCA Teen Night is produced every year by the MOCA Teen Program, a group of teens engaging in the work of the museum by collaborating on projects, working with artists, and meeting with museum professionals. Learn more about MOCA Teens and explore Virtual Teen Night on our website created by teens for teens: mocateens.org.See you all next year!

Become a MOCA Teen! Applications for the 2025-26 cycle are now available. Download the application HERE. Complete and return the application before midnight on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to jespinosa@moca.org. We are only accepting online applications.

MOCA teamed up with The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Walker Art Center, and the Contemporary Art Museum, Houston to investigate the long-term impacts of their intensive teen programs. What happens after teens leave the program?

How many pursue jobs in the arts? How did their participation affect their lives and their relationship to contemporary art? The findings are powerful. 95% of study respondents reported that their time in the teen program was either one of the most or the most significant experiences of their lives to date.

Read the full report here.

Support is provided by the Tamara L. Harris Foundation, Inc.

MOCA’s education programs are made possible by generous endowment support from the W. M. Keck Foundation and The Hearst Foundations.

Education programs at MOCA are supported by the MOCA Fund for Education with lead funding provided by Jennifer Hawks Djawadi and Ramin Djawadi and Terri and Michael Smooke. Major funding is provided by the MOCA Projects Council. Additional funding is provided by an anonymous donor.