Youth Art Month Interview with Students, Practitioners, and Leaders

 Youth Art Month: Interviews with Students, Practitioners, and Leaders

Youth Art Month or more affectionally known as YAM, is one of the high points of the academic school year. In this post, we will hear from BPS Visual and Media Arts Content Specialist Amy Wedge and BPS arts practitioners Hilary Crane Stern and Lenira Dos Reis. In addition, and most excitedly, we will hear from their students Angelynn Dream Saldana and Naesoj Ware!

Amy Wedge (she/her)

BPS  Visual and Media Arts Content Specialist

What is YAM? 

The Council for Art Education (CFAE) administers the program at the national level. Art shows, special exhibits, fundraisers, and school and community activities take place annually, traditionally during March, to celebrate visual art education for grades K – 12. In BPS, we traditionally hold our exhibition at City Hall. 2021 was our 27th annual celebration.

What do you think YAM means to Practitioners? 

It's an opportunity for teachers to show off what they have been doing with students beyond the 4 walls of their school.

What do you think YAM means to students? 

It's a pretty big deal to have your work shown at City Hall. Kids get really excited. It also fosters a sense of pride and identity as an artist.

What do you think YAM means to the community? 

For families, it's a source of pride to have their students' work exhibited, and their talents recognized. For the City Hall community, it's always a highlight of the year. Teachers are regularly stopped and thanked by City Hall employees for brightening the halls during installation. Many comment, "Oh, I went to that school" or "I have a child at that school," and others who have no connection to the city get a chance to see what we at BPS Arts are all about- get a chance to see some of our best.

How does YAM fit into the national standards? 

A whole Quarter of our National Standards is dedicated to Presenting! This is all of that, on a very public level. It's not just hanging the work in the hallways of your school for a week and then sending it home in a backpack.

What went well this year related to YAM? 

The virtual platform engaged schools that have never participated in the past. That is exciting and will definitely be an option moving forward. Lots of really cool media arts work showed up. That has never been the case before.

What was challenging this year?

Many teachers' comfort level with digital technology requirements to submit work in the virtual format was not developed. Hopefully, they gained valuable skills through the process to use moving forward, but it was definitely challenging.

What are some implications from this year's YAM that will carry over?  

Virtual option for sure.

What was the most impactful piece you saw this year, and why? 

In general, I think all the workaround Social Justice topics, BLM, gender identity, anti-racism, etc. was impactful and encouraging. At the same time, it was also heartbreaking to see so many pieces revealing the Social-Emotional impacts that COVID has had this year. COVID fatigue really revealed itself in the artwork. Alternatively, it also inspired hope to see so many students continuing to use art to express joy and beauty.

 

Hilary Crane-Stern (she/her)

School: Another Course to College

Years in BPS: 11 years in BPS

What does YAM mean to Practitioners?

YAM is a celebration of student work. It is also a celebration of the community. YAM offers a unique opportunity to celebrate staff and students in all the ARTS disciplines. It is exciting to see Visual Artists, Theater, Dance, and Music all in one event so that we can lift each other up and celebrate the students' genius!

What does YAM mean to Students?

I think YAM is an opportunity to celebrate ART throughout the district and throughout disciplines. It is important to mark days/months and honor them. In this case, it is a tradition celebrating student ARTworks.

What does YAM mean to the COMMUNITY?

YAM represents the beauty and complexity of students’ thinking. YAM is a chance for community members to celebrate, wonder and question through students' eyes and student voices in viewing the artworks. 

What went well: Planning/submissions/styles

What was challenging: A lot of art submitted was digital art which I love, but I wish there could have been more hands-on artworks.  

What are some implications from this year’s YAM that will carry over: I love the virtual art shows and hope that continues because it reaches so many people (esp families) who can’t get to City Hall, where it has traditionally been held.

What is the most impactful piece you saw this year, and why?

The most impactful piece was the work of a student who created illustrations that centered their identity as a trans woman. The work was genitalia and breasts and made the viewer question what makes someone male or female and what confirms or creates gender identity. 

Angelynn's Artwork from YAM 2021

Name: Angelynn Dream Saldana (they/them)

Age: 18

School: Another Course to College

How many years have you been involved in YAM? 4

What does YAM mean to you? 

It is a platform for younger people like me to express their art. 

What does YAM mean to the community? 

It allows young artists to come to realize their opinions about their own art and then share the opinions. It lets other people know that they create artworks when those people may never have known that. 

What does YAM to other students?

It is an opportunity for other schools etc see their art and get recognition. 

What went well this year related to YAM? What was challenging?

Art was a way of embracing joy and pain in this pandemic. It provided a distraction from the whole pandemic as well. 

What inspired you to create your piece? 

I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, and I wanted to work on drawing the body, and for once, I didn’t want to take the art seriously.  

What's next for you on your artistic journey? 

To have my business going well. I want to start it and sell more art and make more art. 

   Lenira DosReis(she/her)

  School: John D. O’Bryant High School. 

  Years in BPS: 11 years. 

What do you think YAM means to Practitioners? 

  YAM gives both the students and the teacher the opportunity to share the work that is being   created with the community. It gives us all the sense of belonging and purpose as artists. 

What do you think YAM means to students? 

  YAM gives the students the chance to share their work and gaining confidence as artists 

What do you think YAM means to the community? 

  To the community, YAM means coming together to appreciate and value art-making amongst   teachers, students, and families.  

How does YAM align with arts standards? 

  YAM aligns with exhibiting students' work and reflecting on the process and product

. 

What went well this year related to YAM? 

  I decided to participate this year because YAM was virtual. 

What was the most impactful piece you saw this year and why? 

   Honestly, most of the work is amazing! One that is stood out to me the most is “Black Women” by     Naesof Ware. This piece was powerful because of its message about the struggles Black women have to endure. It was powerful when the student presented her piece. 

Naesoj's artwork from YAM 2021

Name Naesoj Ware 

Age 17

School John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science

How many years have you been involved in YAM? 1

What does YAM mean to you? 

YAM means allowing students to showcase their artistic abilities. YAM is an outlet for many students to escape the stresses of their core subject classes and personal issues. 

What does YAM mean to the community? 

YAM means appreciating and engaging with the artwork done by students. It unifies the communities and reminds them of good things, especially during these times of hardship. 

What does YAM mean to other students?

YAM means recognizing the broader abilities of your peers by acknowledging the desirable skills people possess outside of academic and athletic ability.  

What went well this year related to YAM? 

YAM still happened regardless of the pandemic. The digital gallery format was very well organized and displayed the true talent and effort on behalf of students. 

What was challenging?

The inability to physically view and engage with students' artwork was challenging. Viewing artwork online is ultimately not the same and does not invoke the same feelings and emotions. 

What inspired you to create your piece? 

The prominence of the Black Lives Matter Movement and the presidential election inspired my piece. Social media's display of the protest and riots and the constant changes happening to the voter demographic in the presidential election reminded me that black women are more, often than not, the backbones of movements and invoke change throughout the nation. Yet, black women are one of the most unprotected groups in America. As a young black woman, I am subject to domestic violence, stereotypes, discrimination, sexual assault, inequality, oppression, and sexism. It is disheartening to think about all that the black woman deals with but never fails to show up to champion everyone's cause. My inspiration came from my desire to showcase that. 

What's next for you on your artistic journey? 

I hope to develop my artistic ability so that I can illustrate more of my thoughts and ideas.