Every other year, students from the Madison Metropolitan School District have the opportunity to showcase their artistic talents on the illustrious walls of a legitimate art gallery. No rules restrict the infinite possibilities of what they choose to create. The exhibit, ""Young at Heart,"" will run until May 15 at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
The theme potentially suggests a room full of refrigerator drawings, vibrant finger-paintings and macaroni crafts. Inside the exhibition, however, the level of creativity and workmanship clearly rises above the cliché image of kids'artwork. ""Young At Art"" benefits from a wide age range—from kindergarteners through high school seniors—that provides a balance of youthful sophistication.
Students employed varied mediums, from ceramic sculptures to India ink to brass jewelry and everything in between, but the content of those mediums is even more diverse. Pieces like ""Time Warp Egyptian to American Idol,"" a drawing of an ancient Egyptian singing before a panel of judges, or ""Androichnid,"" a ceramic sculpture of a high-tech spider, exemplify the imaginative stories that inspired each final creation.
""Young At Art"" speaks to art's role in the world of education. While other subjects leave a structure that distinguishes between success and failure, art remains impartial. It exists as the utopian subject, promoting equal opportunity, limitless creative freedom and self-esteem.
In a drawing, ""My hand is special,"" a 5th grader proudly writes, ""I can draw ... I can make sculptures, I am an artist."" Other memorable titles included ""Think Big, Spread Your Wings"" and ""Fabulous Me,"" demonstrating the confidence these students gain as artists.
Since 1984, ""Young At Art"" has allowed the Madison Metropolitan School District and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art to collaborate on a project that celebrates both education and art. This year, the exhibit is particularly significant given the threat of budget cuts to the Wisconsin Arts Board, which faces a funding cut of 73 percent.
""‘Young At Art' is supported, in part, by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board, so this exhibition and others at MMoCA would be significantly impacted by the proposed budget cuts,"" said Katie Kazan, the director of public information at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
These looming financial constraints put a long history of successful gallery shows at risk. Most likely, schools'arts programs will also face cuts in the near future, assuming they haven't already. The exhibit is a chance to see the strength of Madison's public schools art programs.
""The exhibition demonstrates the skill and dedication of local art educators and the exhilarating talents of their students,"" said Kazan.
This showcase of student work should not be missed by anyone who appreciates quality artwork, anyone who supports inventive creativity, and, especially, anyone who is young at heart.
