Youth Art Month

Addison P., Northstar Middle School (Teacher: Johanna Peterson).

Katherine Josten

For more than sixty years, Youth Art Month (YAM) has continued to cultivate and foster visual art education for K–12 students. This year’s theme, Dream in Art, speaks to the power of art for all. As a special celebration of Youth Art Month, YAM is teaming up with the 2022 Claire Flanagan Grand Awardee New York State, the New York State Art Teachers Association (NYSATA), and an inspiring local artist, Jennifer Orkin Lewis (a.k.a. August Wren), who is highly recognized for her loose painting style and spontaneity, to light up the Empire State Building on March 15th.

Our Mission
The nonprofit organization Council for Art Education nationally sponsors YAM, which focuses on one primary goal: To visually demonstrate to federal and state legislators, education officials, community leaders, teachers, and parents the importance of keeping quality art education funded in K–12 schools, and provide a forum for acknowledging skills that are exclusively gained in, with, and through visual art.

Art for All
Today, YAM celebrations take place across the nation with the help of YAM coordinators and visual art educators in each participating state. Local and statewide events take place throughout March in a variety of locations, including schools, libraries, art centers, museums, and even state capitol buildings, serving to focus attention on the value of art education for all children and to encourage support for quality school programs. As the program continues to expand, YAM celebrations like Art Walk on Main Street in Fauquier County, Virginia, bring back the joy and excitement of youth art to local communities.

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