
March is Youth Art Month
Lynnae Burns
WestCental-VP
YES! It is Youth Art Month time! I know that many of you have been busy preparing your student
art for our annual Youth Art Month Exhibits. Our middle school art teachers just completed
hanging our citywide annual art exhibit in celebration of YAM at our public library. Our
elementary art staff will soon be joining us and displaying art in both our north and south branch
public libraries of La Crosse. During these shows, our district invites each of our school board
members to come view the exhibits and select one piece of art to hang in our school district
boardroom. Late in spring, students and their families are invited to a fine arts recognition
ceremony to meet the board members that chose their work. These artworks get framed and
are displayed for the school district board and attendees to see until the following Youth Art
Month shows. This event has been a wonderful way to showcase and celebrate our youth artists
in our school community.
Let us embrace our regional and state level Youth Art Month Exhibits. I have been enjoying
seeing and hearing from the regional VP’s on their regional exhibits. This has been an amazing
opportunity to oversee over 30 of our region’s teacher YAM submissions. Our regional show is
being installed at the Heider Center for the Arts in West Salem, and will be on display starting
February 2nd. Our exhibit will end with a closing reception for the artists and their families on
February 19th from 6-7:30pm. Shortly after that, this show will be packaged up and be ready for
transit to the State Capital Exhibit on February 21st.
This year’s change to our Youth Art Month submission allowed all WAEA members to submit up
to five student works (two more than last year) with three of those five going on to the State
Capital YAM Show. We anticipate that the State Capital Rotunda will be overflowing with the
magnificent artworks from the art studio classroom from all over the state. It is my hope that
each of you is taking the time to celebrate your students’ artistic accomplishments with them
and their families.
YES! I can’t wait to see our art fill the Capital.