{{Use mdy dates, date=June 2013 Youth Art Month is a month of promoting art and

art education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, de ...

in the United States. It is observed in March, with thousands of American schools participating, often with the involvement of local

art museums An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily con ...

and

civic organizations Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI), in cooperation with the

National Art Education Association The National Art Education Association (NAEA) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1947 in the United States, headquartered in Alexandria, VA. It is the world's largest professional art education association. The NAEA's annual conv ...

, in 1961 and was initially called Children's Art Month. Its goal was to "emphasize the value of participating in art for all children." It was renamed Youth Art Month in 1969, to include secondary school students. In 1984, ACMI created the Council for Art Education, Inc. (CFAE) to oversee the annual observation of Youth Art Month. As of 2009, CFAE consisted of representatives of: ACMI, the

, "The SHIP" (a group of manufacturers of

art materials Arts media is the material and tools used by an artist, composer or designer to create a work of art, for example, "pen and ink" where the pen is the tool and the ink is the material. Here is a list of types of art and the media used within thos ...

), and the

General Federation of Women's Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of over 3,000 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Many of its activities ...

. The Craft & Hobby Association is also involved in Youth Art Month.

Activities

National events

The main nationwide component of Youth Art Month is a

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indiv ...

called School Flags Across America . . . Flying High. As part of the competition, each state Youth Art Month Chairperson selects a theme that is representative of that state and of the spirit of Youth Art Month, and students design flags around that theme. The winning design from each state is then made into an actual flag, and the 50 student-designed flags are then displayed throughout Washington, D.C. following an opening ceremony held the first week of March to commemorate the start of Youth Art Month. The winning students and their families are invited to attend this opening ceremony in Washington, D.C. and the flags are displayed throughout the city for March, and then displayed at the Youth Art Month booth at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association.

State and local events

Arlington Museum of Art March 2019 1 (Youth Art Month)

Governors A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and mayors throughout the United States issue proclamations declaring March as Youth Art Month, and many

United States Senators The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, Member of Congress, and state legislators take the opportunity to make public statements in favor of art education. Observation of Youth Art Month is carried out by

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

around the country, including art educators,

parents A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male t ...

, librarians, leaders of youth organizations,

businesspeople A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

, and students. Activities depend on the efforts of local volunteers, and include: * display of student art at art museums,

libraries A library is a collection of Document, materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or electronic media, digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a ...

, and other places throughout the community; * talks, forums, and discussions on art; * partnerships with local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations to raise the profile of youth art and art education in the community; * local art competitions, often with winning student art displayed somewhere prominent in the community (e.g. at local bus stops); * cross-promotions to raise awareness of other local charities or to beautify the community; * special events, such as

sidewalk chalk Sidewalk chalk is typically large and thick sticks of chalk (calcium sulfate, gypsum, rather than calcium carbonate, rock chalk) that come in multiple colors and are mostly used for drawing on pavement or concrete sidewalks, frequently four sq ...

displays,

ice sculpture Ice sculpture is a form of sculpture that uses ice as the raw material. Sculptures from ice can be abstract or realistic and can be functional or purely decorative. Ice sculptures are generally associated with special or extravagant events becaus ...

carving, and craft workshops.

External links

CFAE booklet on Youth Art Month

CFAE brochure on recent Youth Art Month events

Representative regional observances

Maryland YAM Flag Contest Winners Gallery

Texas Youth Art Month

Illinois Youth Art Month

Pennsylvania Youth Art Month

Rhode Island Youth Art Month

Youth Art Month at the Museum of Fine Art, Houston

Youth Art Month Exhibit on Flickr

March observances Visual arts education Children's art Recurring events established in 1961 1961 establishments in the United States