Youth Art Month - EP Schools Represented

Student art work from throughout East Providence has been displayed at the Weaver Library on Grove Avenue and also at the Riverside branch library during March. The Council for Art Education (CFAE) administers Youth Art Month at the national level. Festivities take place annually each March, to celebrate visual arts for grades K to 12. Tricia Barry Chapman, a fine arts teacher/coordinator at EPHS has help to organize the city-wide display. The Youth Art Month Program emphasizes the value of art education for all children, encourages support for quality school art programs, and promotes art material safety.

"Once again our Youth Art Month exhibit shows the wonderful work of so many talented students across East Providence," said Mrs. Chapman. "The main display was at Weaver Library with some high school ceramic pieces at Riverside Library. There are a few elementary schools, as well as both middle schools and the high school involved," added Chapman.

According to the national organization, Youth Art Month also provides a forum for recognizing skills developed through visual arts experiences that are not possible in other curriculum subjects. Started in 1961 through the Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI) and in cooperation with the National Art Education Association (NAEA), Youth Art Month exists to:

• Recognize art education as a viable factor in the total education curricula that develops citizens of a global society.
• Recognize art is a necessity for the full development of better quality of life for all.
• Direct attention to the value of art education for divergent and critical thinking.
• Expand art programs in schools and stimulate new art programs.
• Encourage commitment to the arts by students, community organizations, and individuals everywhere.
• Provide additional opportunities for individuals of all ages to participate in creative art learning.
• Increase community, business and governmental support for art education.
• Increase community understanding and interest in art and art education through involvement in art exhibits, workshops, and other creative ventures.
• Reflect and demonstrate the goals of the National Art Education Association that work toward the improvement of art education at all levels.

"Hopefully the residents of East Providence had a chance to view some of the great art work our students had put together. Community support means a lot to our students and schools," said Chapman.