The Young At Art exhibit reception has just opened in downtown Evansville at the Arts Council of Southwest Indiana.
There’s a line out the door for young artists and friends and family waiting to get in — where Communications Director Zach Evans is at the door.
More than 350 will pass through the small gallery that afternoon and he’s a little surprised by how busy it is.
“We have the same number of entries — about 250 every time,” he said. “Now it's like everybody wants to support their children — their families want to support it.”
He likens it to family attending children’s baseball games.
Gallery Director Andrea Adams says family participation increased drastically in the last two years.
“Young at Art” invites art teachers from the area to submit 10 pieces for the exhibit. Adams says there are 15 schools featured, and several home school students.
There were no parameters on the art; the pieces range from ceramics to fabric to two- dimensional.
The walls are a coordinated explosion of color, which Adams loves.
“Kids tend to be very free with their color choices,” she said. “ And I'm always thankful for it. It's just a fun space to walk into with all of this art all over the walls in so many different colors.”
Of course there's also a balance of monochromatic pieces, like 11-year-old Lila Talbot’s stylized pencil drawing of her cat.
She chose pencil because it’s easy to shade.
On the other hand, Drew Stevens, age 10, chose watercolors because it complements the subject — in this case a vibrant hummingbird in a wooden frame.
“I've done two other watercolors before,” he said. “The first one I did was shown right here. The second one I was making for the same person who had bought the first one because they wanted like a sequel to it.”
Adams noted the increased number of birds as subjects in 2023.
She said the quality is also the best she’s seen in her 11 years of doing the exhibit. She credits the teachers who instruct the students and select the pieces.
“These kids are all creative,” Adams said. “They all have this, this ability and this talent inside of them. It takes the right teacher and the right instructor to pull it out of them. And it's very evident in this show specifically what these teachers are doing for these kids.”
You can see the care taken with selections — such as the 10 pieces from Holy Redeemer from art teacher Claire Helfrich. There are colorful two-dimensional pieces, monochrome pieces, “and then this giant 3d bowl of ramen with a smiley face on it that I love so much too,” Adams said.
One of Teacher Joni Miller’s submissions was a photo accurate painting of a frog — on a ceiling tile from her room.
“I start off just trying to educate them on the techniques and bring focus to the craftsmanship involved in their work,” she said. “And I think giving them feedback throughout the course of their work and attention to have time to self evaluate is a pretty important part to just kind of a mix of several things.”
Ermil Wilhite’s daughter Eden had a piece in the exhibit. He takes her and sibling Zion age 6 around to look at the other art as well.
“It's just really fun to see them expressing themselves,” he said. “And there's so much about school where they have to learn academic standards and things that are out of their control, but this is a great way for them to express themselves. It's really, really cool.”
Eden Wilhite age 12, said showcasing artwork in public feels vulnerable to students, but also freeing.
“They express themselves in a way that they're not as afraid to, as they would be if they were like adults, because they don't really have that much to lose,” she said.
Said Miller, “It’s important to educate the whole student; and support their social and emotional needs.”
She said art can stimulate out-of-the-box thinking, and she’s optimistic about increases in arts program support.
Young at Art closes March 31st, after which the second youth exhibit, featuring Signature School seniors, will be on display.
Adams said you’ll soon be able to see this exhibit at ARTSWIN.org
