Overview
The Madison Art Center celebrates the artistic achievements of local schoolchildren in Young at Art, a biennial exhibition organized in cooperation with the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). The exhibition offers a burst of color and creativity that’s especially welcome at mid-Wisconsin winter.
Children’s art has been a source of inspiration to some of the most recognized figures in modern art. Paul Klee and Jean Dubuffet, among others, emulated children’s art in creating some of the twentieth century’s most memorable paintings. In the contemporary era, Tom Friedman employs construction paper, marbles and other materials associated with children’s play to create intricately structured, highly imaginative sculptures.
Every two years Madison area art teachers are invited to submit up to three selections for inclusion in Young at Art. The works are professionally matted, framed, and installed in the Museum’s galleries. The exhibition is coordinated by Madison Art Center Curator of Education Sheri Castelnuovo in cooperation with MMSD Fine Arts Coordinator Meric-Vance (Rick) Neuenfeldt.
The exhibition will include some 175 works in various media—from painting and drawing to ceramics and metalwork—by local students in grades K–12. Sure to surprise and impress visitors of all ages, Young at Art underscores the importance of artistic expression and the value of art education by showcasing individual accomplishment.
The following schools are represented in Young at Art:
Abraham Lincoln Elementary
Accelerated Learning Academy
Akira R. Toki Middle
Aldo Leopold Elementary
Annie Greencrow Whitehorse Middle
Black Hawk Middle
Carl Sandburg Elementary
Cesar Chavez Elementary
Charles Lindbergh Elementary
Cherokee Heights Middle
Conrad Elvehjem Elementary
Crestwood Elementary
East High Emerson Elementary
Frank Allis Elementary
Franklin Elementary
Georgia O’Keeffe Middle
Glendale Elementary
Henry David Thoreau Elementary
Herbert Schenk Elementary
James C. Wright Middle
James Madison Memorial High
John F. Kennedy Elementary
John Muir Elementary
Lake View Elementary
Lapham Elementary
Lowell Elementary
Malcolm Shabazz City High
Marquette Elementary
Mendota Elementary
Midvale Elementary
Orchard Ridge Elementary
Philip Falk Elementary
Randall Elementary
Robert M. LaFollette High
Samuel Gompers Elementary
Shorewood Hills Elementary
Spring Harbor Middle
Van Hise Elementary
Velma Hamilton Middle
West High
Exhibition Support
Young at Art was organized by the Madison Art Center and the Madison Metropolitan School District. Funding has been generously provided by a grant from the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission with additional funds from the Madison Community Foundation, the Overture Foundation, and Pleasant Company’s Fund for Children; Webcrafters, Inc.; Marshall Field’s Project Imagine; The Art League of the Madison Art Center; and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin. Promotional support has been provided by Dane County KIDS.