Youth Art Month - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Youth Art Month is a month of promoting art and art education

Art education

Art education is the area of learning that is based upon the visual, tangible arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practical fields such as commercial graphics and home furnishings...

in the United States. It is observed in March, with thousands of American schools participating, often with the involvement of local art museums and civic organizations.

Background

Youth Art Month was founded by the Crayon, Water Color & Craft Institute, Inc., the predecessor of the Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc.

Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc.

The Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. is an industry trade group composed of over 200 companies that manufacture art materials. ACMI's main function is to certify art and creative materials as non-toxic...

(ACMI), in cooperation with the National Art Education Association

National Art Education Association

The National Art Education Association , a professional association, is the world's largest professional art education association. It was founded in 1947.-Membership:...

, 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.

Council for Art Education, Inc.

The Council for Art Education, Inc. is an organization created by the Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. in 1984 to promote March as Youth Art Month, which was designed to promote art education...

(CFAE) to oversee the annual observation of Youth Art Month. As of 2009, CFAE consisted of representatives of: ACMI, the National Art Education Association

National Art Education Association

The National Art Education Association , a professional association, is the world's largest professional art education association. It was founded in 1947.-Membership:...

, "The SHIP" (a group of manufacturers of art materials), and the General Federation of Women's Clubs

General Federation of Women's Clubs

The General Federation of Women's Clubs , founded in 1890, is an international women's organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service...

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

National events

The main nation-wide component of Youth Art Month is a competition

Competition

Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...

called School Flags Across America . . . Flying High. As part of the competition, each state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

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

Opening ceremony

An opening ceremony is the official opening of a building or event. The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup are huge events involving thousands of participants and watched by a massive worldwide audience. On a much smaller scale, some ceremonies mark the opening of a...

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

Convention (meeting)

A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...

of the National Art Education Association.

State and local events

Governors

Governor (United States)

In the United States, the title governor refers to the chief executive of each state or insular territory, not directly subordinate to the federal authorities, but the political and ceremonial head of the state.-Role and powers:...

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

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

, 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

Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...

around the country, including art educators, parents, librarians, leaders of youth organizations, businesspeople, and students.

Activities depend on the efforts of local volunteers, and include:

display of student art at art museums, libraries, 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
Sidewalk chalk are typically large colored sticks of calcium sulfate mostly used for drawing on pavement or cement sidewalk. It is sometimes used to draw a four square court or a hopscotch board.-Use:...

displays, ice sculpture
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...

carving, and craft workshops.

External links

Representative regional observances

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.