Recognizing Youth Art

March is Youth Art Month which acknowledges and appreciates art made by children and promotes artistic educational programs. Art evidently helps children express themselves creatively, develop critical design thinking and reasoning, and improve hand-eye coordination by allowing for the fashioning of unique subjective portrayals of nearly anything. Therefore it is no surprise that junior art has existed for millennia with the first noted record being child handprints from 200,000 years ago in Tibet. Illustrations have also been found from the Roman Empire, European Middle Ages, and Novgorod (where Russia is currently). Many of these pieces appear to be stick figures depicting the artist’s themselves. 

On the other hand, modern youth art takes various different forms with some notable examples being Andres Valencia and Aaradhya Sunder. Valencia paints in a similar style to that of the renowned artist Picasso by utilizing geometric shapes to rebuild an image after dispersing its parts. In contrast, Sunder depicts landscapes and real world everyday objects in a naturalistic style. Her piece Birds in a Polluted World illustrates blue birds with yellow underbellies dwelling in a desolate world covered in smoke and brown sludge. Evidently, she is able to convey the theme of environmental conservation through the suffering depicted on wildlife. 

Different cultures also have distinctive art styles and techniques that are engrained in tradition. Recognizing Youth Art Month increases awareness for these cultures and inclusiveness that fosters comfort for individuals of them within socialization as they are noticed and not seen as “weird” or “different” as a result. Drawing, sculpting, calligraphy, painting, and photography are all various mediums of art, each of which that have specific unique styles. Similarly, appreciating art promotes community involvement as it is often inspired by things that the artist perceives and it allows for those in the community to connect to it as a result.

There are many ways you can participate and contribute to Youth Art Month. You can volunteer at community art events or shows. You can also donate to school fundraisers to improve artistic programs with better materials. Pablo Picasso acknowledged the importance of art: “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”

Sources

• https://www.histchild.org/resources/a-timeline-child-art-in-the-historical-record 

• https://wellsinternationalfoundation.org/aaradhya-at-art-capital-paris-2025/ 

• http://andresvalenciaart.com/ 

• https://www.cmosc.org/benefits-of-art-during-early-childhood/ 

• https://www.arteducators.org/news/articles/10-youth-art-month-yam (cover image)

https://www.nysata.org/youth-art-month