The Arts Commission Presents Work by Lucas County Juvenile Court Involved Youth

Daily Dose  |  04/03/2026 12:00 pm

The Arts Commission is proud to showcase a partnership with the Lucas County Juvenile Court and Youth Advocate program. 

Artwork by five court-involved youth will be on view April 11 – May 1, 2026 at JUST Toledo, located at 909 Jefferson. 

Lucas County Juvenile Court (LCJC) invests in the treatment and support of court-involved youth including their access to the arts. The Arts Commission receives funding from LCJC to partner with the Youth Advocate Program (YAP) to provide arts instruction for youth. YAP is a local chapter of a national organization that provides the curriculum for LCJC’s Community Treatment Center Program (CTC). 

Led by visual artist Christopher Pickett, with photographer James Dickerson and writer/performer Jelani Maliik, these teaching artists combined elements of visual art, photography, and creative writing into a series of exploratory workshops. 

Week after week, the artists would teach photography, poetry, and design. 

The youth were able to shoot images on real photographic film. LCJC presented legal confidentiality and privacy guidelines on what could and couldn’t be shown to the public; for example, identifying details like faces and tattoos. In an effort to present work within legal requirements, youth drew designs on the prints to obscure themselves and their peers’ identities. 

How does one express their identity artistically without revealing it? 

After they finished shooting their rolls of film, our on-site photographer developed and digitized the images. The digitized files were sent to the University of Toledo Print Center for professional printing. When the prints returned, the youth were invited to remove or obscure identifiable features using Posco paint markers. 

Youth spent several sessions experimenting with designs on practice prints before committing to their final pieces. During the design phase, an on-site author led discussions and writing prompts about censorship. Drawing from those conversations, the youth wrote short excerpts about how they see themselves and their aspirations. Combining these writings with the visual work gave them a chance for introspection focused on identity rather than actions or past mistakes.

“I want everyone who sees this show to walk away celebrating these boys — not for who we hope they’ll become, but for who they are now. They are smart, strong, witty, and the most inspiring group of young men I’ve had the pleasure to work with, facing challenges most adults could scarcely imagine. I hope this show gives the community — and, more importantly, the boys themselves — a chance to see that,” said lead artist, Christopher Pickett. 

The public is invited to view their work at JUST Toledo, Toledo’s only zero waste refill store, beginning Saturday, April 11, 2026, during normal store hours. In addition to eco-friendly household and body products, JUST Toledo also highlights local artists. 

JUST Toledo is open Thursday and Friday from 12PM – 5PM and Saturdays 9AM – 2PM at 909 Jefferson Avenue, Toledo, OH. 

A private reception will be held for youth participants. 

About Lucas County Juvenile Court
Lucas County Juvenile Court, is mandated by law, to serve youth and families and hear cases regarding juvenile delinquency and traffic offenses, status offenses such as unruly, curfew, and truancy cases; abused, neglected, or dependent children cases; civil private custody/visitation cases that establish or modify parental or third party custody/visitation rights regarding children, child support and paternity matters, permanent custody cases involving the termination of parental rights if necessary, applications for consent to marry, etc… Depending on the case, jurisdiction of the court over a particular child may continue up until the age of 21.