Young Artists Shine: Works from Boys and Girls Clubs at Tacoma Art Museum

David C., age 6, Sea of Wonder. Collage. Southeast region. 2013 National Fine Arts Exhibit, Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Submitted by Tacoma Art Museum

Jude M., age 17, Rescue Mission. Oil/Acrylic category. Southeast region. 2013 National Fine Arts Exhibit, Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Angel F., age 12, There is Always Music Amongst the Trees. Watercolor category. Southwest region. 2013 National Fine Arts Exhibit, Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Dozens of 6- through 18-year-olds will exhibit their fine art at Tacoma Art Museum this month as TAM hosts Young Artists Shine: Boys and Girls Clubs of America, featuring works created by students who participate in Puget Sound area Boys and Girls Clubs (BGCA). This local exhibition is the first step in BGCA’s National Fine Arts Exhibit program. Young Artists Shine opens January 13, and will be on view in TAM’s Cheney classroom through February 3, with a reception on January 15, from 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 pm.

“TAM’s Young Artists Shine exhibition offers recognition to students participating in art programs at local Boys and Girls Clubs. It gives students a chance to see how exhibitions work as they take part in the professional art world,” says Samantha Kelly, TAM’s Director of Education. “Our museum educators teach fine art programs at several area Boys and Girls Clubs. We see first-hand the positive impacts of learning about and making art. The children are engaged, and it is inspiring to watch their skills and confidence grow day by day. Through Young Artists Shine, TAM invites the broader community to see and appreciate the tremendous talent of these local kids. We hope it will engender further community support for arts programs for underserved youth.”

David C., age 6, Sea of Wonder. Collage. Southeast region. 2013 National Fine Arts Exhibit, Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
David C., age 6, Sea of Wonder. Collage. Southeast region. 2013 National Fine Arts Exhibit, Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

TAM will exhibit student works in four age groupings across ten artwork categories. Participating artists receive a certificate of recognition. Judges from the Tacoma arts community will select works from each age group for submission to the Pacific Regional Exhibition, where they’ll be shown alongside works by BGCA artists from eight western states (Wash., Ore., Idaho, Calif., Ariz., Utah, Nev. and Hawaii). Finalists selected from each of five regional exhibitions will be included in the 2014 National Fine Art Exhibit, on view for one year at BGCA’s headquarters gallery in Atlanta, and presented to touring groups including the BGCA National Conference, visiting elected officials, youth groups, and more. The 2014 National Fine Arts Exhibit will also be available for on-line viewing, along with prior years’ exhibits, in a virtual gallery on BGCA’s website, www.bgca.org.