Young at Art, which opened March 20 in the State Street Gallery of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, presents works of art by Madison Metropolitan School District students in kindergarten through grade 12. The exhibition is the result of a long-standing collaboration between MMoCA and the school district’s Fine Arts Department.
An opening reception took place on Sunday, March 20, 3-4:30 pm. Teachers, student artists, and families were the featured guests at the reception, which was open to the public. The Chávez Marimba Club, a project of the César Chávez Elementary School, performed in the MMoCA lobby.
In preparing for the exhibition, each of Madison’s public school art teachers is invited to submit up to three works created by his or her students. This process yields a full range of technique, subject matter, and media, including drawing, painting, collage, photography, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, fiber, and computer-generated art.
Young at Art underscores the value of early and continuing exposure to high-quality art education. The exhibition calls attention to children’s creative potential and problem-solving skills; to the scope and variety of individual expression; and to the excellence of art instruction in Madison’s public schools. All works on view in Young at Art demonstrate students’ imagination and talent, and reflect best-practices in art education.
Young at Art is organized by the education department of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and the Madison Metropolitan School District. Generous funding for Young at Art has been provided by Wells Fargo; the Steinhauer Charitable Trust; American Family Insurance; the Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople; the Madison Arts Commission with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board; a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts; and the Art League of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
Sunday, April 10 • 1-2:30 pm
Kids' Art Adventures
Kids will let their imaginations run wild while creating posable animals inspired by the works of their peers in Young at Art. These fantastical animals will be as fun to play with as they are to create.
Jamie Lom, 100 Block of State Street. Mixed-media collage with paper, oil and pastel. Jamie is in 4th grade at Hawthorne Elementary School, where she studies with Julie D. Olsen.
Diana Parker, Surreal. Digital photograph. Diana is a senior at West High School, where she studies with art teacher Holly Everill.
Nadia Reeves, Natural Object Collage. Found natural objects. Nadia is in fifth grade at Orchard Ridge Elementary, where she studies with art teacher Joshua Ludke.
Ailinne Diaz, Still Life with Flowers. Tempera paint on paper. Ailinne is in fifth grade at Leopold Elementary Schooll where she studies with art teacher Sonia Vallé.