gruntCraft is a visual arts based, youth engagement project, managed by Vancouver’s grunt gallery. The project has developed a virtual art studio, in Minecraft, for youth participants. Program includes 3D printing workshops, mentorship and feedback from professional artists.

Creative work, driven by youth, is flourishing in shared virtual spaces. This activity falls within the artistic scope of grunt gallery’s recently appointed media lab, gruntKitchen. With the guidance and support of professional artists, youth participants will develop a series of individual and group projects in a virtual studio with the objectives of creative exploration, artistic inquiry, and engagement. Our proposal is to use the popular online game MineCraft as a creative medium to engage youth in contemporary art, meeting them in the virtual spaces they occupy. Grunt gallery will establish a MineCraft server to function as a virtual studio for youth participants.