ArtSpace Maynard, formally ArtSpace, Inc., is a non-profit community arts center in Maynard, Massachusetts. In January 2001, ArtSpace leased the former Fowler Middle School from the Maynard School Department and transformed it into one of New England's largest and most vital art hubs. The mission of ArtSpace is to provide affordable studio space to local artists, exhibit contemporary art from New England artists, and maintain an active community outreach program.Our Youth Leadership Arts Program (YLAP) empowers youth, ages 10-18, to use the arts as a platform and catalyst for expressing themselves while expanding their capacity for creation, problem-solving, team building, and leadership. YLAP will serve students in Maynard and Middlesex County via in-school and after-school projects. This innovative new program will teach youth to produce museum-quality exhibitions and public artworks and to plan and run community events. YLAP encourages youth to embrace their unique individual creativity while collaborating with their peers, providing them with the building blocks needed to succeed in life, both personally and professionally.This program is dedicated to supporting young people and the community-at-large by giving youth the material resources, space, and support to develop and share their work. The recognition of individual creative vision becomes a model for personal empowerment and community celebration to the participating students and community members.