Since 1990, AMA has presented the city’s Youth Art Month show as a part of National Youth Art Month
Arlington, TX (FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE) – From March 30 – May 3, 2024, artwork by K-12 students from over 70 local schools will fill the new Community Gallery, a premier exhibition space inside the Arlington Museum of Art’s new location in the Arlington Entertainment District. Admission is free.
For 34 years, the AMA has partnered with the Arlington Independent School District to host the city’s Youth Art Month show. This year, works by students attending Duncanville ISD’s Central Elementary Digital Media and Performing Arts Academy will also be included.
The Youth Art Month show features a variety of artistic media, including paintings, drawings, pottery, mixed-media, sculpture, and metalwork by young artists from all grade levels. The sheer number of pieces that make up the annual show requires about 5,000 square feet of exhibition space.
In previous years, Youth Art Month consumed nearly all of the gallery space in the museum, which until recently occupied a repurposed JCPenney building. In March 2024, however, when the Arlington Museum of Art opens in its new location, everything will be different, according to AMA President and CEO Chris Hightower.
“From the onset, we knew we wanted to create a space in our new building that is as much about community-building as visual arts,” said Hightower, “The Community Gallery will speak to these values by providing a platform for emerging and established artists to showcase their unique perspectives and talents.”
Not by coincidence, the Community Gallery offers 5,000 square feet of exhibition space.
“The annual Youth Art Month show is an important partnership between the AMA and AISD and a tradition cherished by our community,” said Hightower, “We wanted our new Community Gallery to be able to accommodate and grow with it. Our new partnership with Duncanville ISD is just the beginning.”
“Throughout the rest of the year,” Hightower continued, “we will host a variety of curated shows by artists from all walks of life, allowing us to highlight and celebrate the incredible diversity and artistic talent that makes our community and state so special.”
To ensure accessibility for all, the museum will never charge admission to see shows in the Community Gallery, Hightower added.
Vititia Williams, Director of Education for the Arlington Museum of Art, is excited about the opportunity to debut the Community Gallery with the 2024 Youth Art Month show.
“The Arlington Museum of Art’s unique partnership with AISD is an important way we encourage creativity, inspire emerging artists, support art education, and engage with the community,” said Williams. “I think the new space is going to blow everyone away!”
“It’s such an exciting time for the arts in Arlington, Texas!” said Linh Nguyen, AISD Assistant Director of Fine Arts. “Arlington ISD is in great anticipation of having the annual Youth Art Month show coincide with the AMA’s grand opening exhibits Pompeii: The Immortal City and One Point Five Degrees. We’ve been truly blessed by this important partnership with the AMA for the past 34 years, and having the opportunity to showcase our students’ artwork in the new gallery space will be life-changing and transformative. The Arlington Museum of Art is committed to promoting creativity and culture in Arlington and to provide a memorable and enriching experience for all that will last a lifetime.”
“We love working with the children and their teachers, and there’s nothing like watching the students show off their work to their families,” said Williams. “Youth Art Month is such a long-standing tradition in Arlington that now we’re seeing kids who have parents that participated in Youth Art Month when they were in school!”
Arlington Youth Art Month is held in conjunction with National Youth Art Month, which is overseen by the Council for Art Education as a way to encourage support for quality K-12 visual art programs.
The grand opening of the museum in its new location within the Arlington Entertainment District begins on March 30, 2024. AMA’s grand opening exhibits are Pompeii: The Immortal City and One Point Five Degrees.
For those who wish to financially support the Youth Art Month show through sponsorship, contact Chris Hightower at president@arlingtonmuseum.org
Visit arlingtonmuseum.org/youth-art-month for more information.
Pompeii: The Immortal City and
One Point Five Degrees
March 30 – June 23, 2024
and
Arlington Youth Art Month
March 30 – May 3, 2024
Arlington Museum of Art
NEW LOCATION
1200 Ballpark Way
Arlington, TX 76011
817-275-4600
Museum Hours starting March 30, 2024
Tuesday-Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday: Closed
AISD artists and their families will receive detailed information from their teachers about Youth Art Month private closing receptions.
About the Community Gallery
Through an ambitious rotation of curated exhibits and programs, the Community Gallery at the AMA provides a platform for emerging and established artists to showcase their unique perspectives and talents. Because there is no admission fee to the Gallery, it makes the transformative power of art accessible to all, encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds to explore, appreciate, and participate in the arts while fostering a shared sense of belonging. Opening March 30, 2024.
About the Arlington Museum of Art
A thriving visual arts museum in the heart of North Texas, the Arlington Museum of Art is constantly in motion, with ever-changing exhibits and experiences that unite art, technology, innovation, and education. In keeping with our growing reputation for ground-breaking exhibitions and programming, coupled with our hometown pride, in March 2024 the new AMA will open in the heart of Arlington’s Entertainment District. We will serve our community and visitors as a new kind of arts destination, presenting the world’s great masters alongside the very best of contemporary art and evolving genres of experiential art. Our unwavering commitment to fostering creativity, conversation, and connection brings together diverse art, artists, and audiences of all ages, transforming them through the power of art.
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Media Contacts
Chris Hightower, President & CEO, president@arlingtonmuseum.org
Matt Randolph, Director of Engagement, matt@arlingtonmuseum.org
817-275-4600
