Teen Artists Grow Up In Upper Art Gallery

 Come see teen artists at their grown-up best this August!

Teen artists ages 13 to 19 from all of New Jersey’s 21 counties will be showcasing their work in the art center’s upper gallery throughout the month of August. These teens hail from urban, suburban and rural communities throughout the state. Their work will show these teens incredible talent, creativity, originality, emotional depth and true artistic ability. These teens use their work to explore the themes of emotions, life cycles and self-discovery.  These teen also use their art to address many difficult issues facing them today in the environments in which they live, work and play.

 These works, originally exhibited at county teen arts festivals throughout the state, have also been shown in the state’s numerous reputable professional galleries. These galleries include: the Noyes Museum, the Monmouth Museum, the Atlantic City Art Center, the Long Beach Island Foundation for the Arts and Sciences, the Smithville Annex Gallery and the Hopkins House Gallery. These teen works have been featured on various television programs as well including on News 12 New Jersey’s morning show.  The works have also appeared in more unusual places where young people would not normally have access to art including in Newark Airport, the New Jersey State Aquarium, Waterloo Village, the State House Annex, corporate lobbies, public libraries and statewide conventions.

 These works go on tour for only one year and are then replaced in the next series of teen art county festivals. The tour itself is an extension of the New Jersey State Teen Arts Program which is funded by the New Jersey State Department of Education, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Post cards of the artwork on display will be on sale during this exhibit to further support arts education programs for New Jersey teenagers.

Don’t miss your chance to see these unique works all together in one place! This may be the last time these works are on display in this area before being replaced in next year’s series of teen arts festivals.

 These teen artists will also be honored with a grown-up reception which will be held at the arts center on Sunday, August 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. The reception is free, open to the public and includes refreshments. So for anyone interested in seeing today’s world through a young person’s eyes, the arts center is the place to be this August.