Research conducted in nearly the last decade has drawn attention to the fact that adolescents often feel disconnected with schooling. Youth are described as bored, unmotivated, uninterested, not listening, and feeling averse to learning. In studies highlighting urban adolescents, feelings of disconnection, disaffection, and despair are noted. Considering that urban youth frequently confront poverty, violence, adolescent parenthood, substance abuse, and incarceration within their community, their disinterest and indifference toward schooling is understandable. Although the attitudes of urban adolescents can be justified by the social context, this does not change the challenge for teachers to engage students in learning experiences. This article discusses the practices of two urban art educators and the strategies they utilize to motivate the secondary students in their inner-city art classrooms. (Contains 8 figures and 4 endnotes.)