After 10 years of providing young people in the GTA with a place to develop artistically, the AGO’s Teen Behind the Scenes Program celebrated its anniversary with the launch of a new exhibition and video project Wednesday evening.

InTENse: 10 Years of Teens Behind the Scenes at the AGO celebrates the creations of visual art and video by the AGO program members, all of whom are teenagers. Works range from traditional gallery size canvases to sculptures.

The retrospective also includes the council’s newest creation, the Urban Sasquatch Protection Network which was created in collaboration with the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto’s One Nation Unity Group. The installation presents video, performance and animation related to the sightings of a certain elusive and hirsute creature.

Also included in the presentation is a screening of the video project from former council member Jessica Denyer. inTENSION looks back on a decade of youth programming at the AGO, with resident artist, Jessica Denyer, relating her past experience with the program.

Having budded from the gallery’s “OH, Canada Project” in the 1990’s, Teen Behind the Scenes encourages the development of young artists from all over the GTA.

Some students join only to satisfy high school requirements to graduate but most want to be a part of something creative and all are attracted to art. New applicants to the Youth Council go through an additional selection process with a group interview with current council members

According to Denyer, not all successful applicants end up staying in the program but the ones who do feel a certain privilege to be part of an institution like the AGO. That sentiment was easily expressed by program members, past and present, taking part at Wednesday evening’s launch party.

Amidst the usual crowd taking advantage of AGO’s free admission for the night, the proceedings began with program co-ordinator Syrus Ware taking the podium. Also speaking was Mark Henderson, CEO of lead sponsor Ericsson Canada who presented a cheque for $50,000.

Also speaking at the ceremony were past council members Kelvin Mahadeo, Gabe Celestine, Robin Schillit, as well as Denyer.

The evening concluded at the Gallery School, the program’s home, with B Current, Abstract Random and DJs Francesca Nocera and Nik Red providing the music vital to all birthday celebrations.