Inner city youth in Oakland and across the nation often need some positive intervention to get them on track to a happy life. Through his volunteer work with youth in the Bay Area and L.A., Guerrero has provided intervention that has changed the paths of many lives.
“The age to reach youth before they get socialized in the streets is 12 years old,” says Guerrero. “I have had huge success getting youth from this age group to respond positively to the art of glassblowing.”
Referring to one of his many students who was heading to a life of gangs and violence, Guerrero says he saw how glassmaking changed his whole worldview. Realizing their abilities and talent is transforming.
“Glass blowing gives youth the confidence to tackle life challenges so they are more productive and better equipped to confront tough situations in a positive way,” says Guerrero.
A professional artist who studied in Oakland at the California College of the Arts, Guerrero also encourages his glass making students to pursue higher education. He is helping several of his students get to college to study the art of glass blowing.“I lived there in Oakland for fifteen years and I still have a studio in Alameda that I work from,” he says. “I have taught classes to the underserved youth in Oakland at the Crucible and more recently at Public Glass in San Francisco.”
Four years ago, Guerrero moved south to start a glass program for youth in Watts, South Los Angeles. Though he lives in Los Angeles, Guerrero is still very involved with organizations and events in the Bay Area.
“Jaime’s work with youth is really an exchange whereby he offers youth a unique and transformative experience working with glass and learning about elements in sculpture making,” says Nate Watson, Executive Director of Public Glass in San Francisco. “The students, in turn, are an inspiration to his work.”
“When I met Jaime Guerrero nearly 10 years ago, I recognized early on that he was discussing very different things than the other artists,” adds Watson. “While most were looking for issues to pack into their art, Jaime was looking for solutions. I was inspired and said to myself, ‘That is how an artist can make a real impact’.”
Inspired by what Guerrero was doing in L.A., Public Glass started the Light a Spark program in 2012.
“This was the first glass-focused youth outreach program in San Francisco and since then we've worked closely with Jaime as he's come to mentor our youth, share his experiences, and help us fund raise,” says Watson.
In addition to providing glass making classes at no cost, Guerrero works hard to give his students every opportunity available. “I have taken them to two glass conferences, facilitated a museum exhibition of their work, and prepared them to produce items to sell so they can create an income with their craft.”
Guerrero is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a small glass blowing facility offering free classes to local youth of East L.A.
“If we manage to go above our goal I will use any extra funds to pay my students to teach classes and reach more youth. I’m donating my time and a lot more than that to this project because I truly believe that it makes a difference.”
Like his students, Guerrero is from an undeserved community - Boyle Heights, just East of Downtown LA.
“I understand what these kids go through on a daily basis,” he says. “I was once given a rare opportunity that made all the difference in the world to me. It’s a small effort that can truly change someone's life.”