YOUTH ART MONTH IN NJ

Arts Education and the Innovative Workforce

2010-07-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

Arts Education and the Innovative Workforce

Art

2010-07-09T05:14:00.000-07:00

Senator Gill Proclaims Youth Art Month!

2010-07-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

SENATOR GILL HONORS NEW JERSEY ART EDUCATORS, RECOGNIZES MONTCLAIR TEACHERS, STUDENTS IN CELEBRATION OF YOUTH ART MONTH

TRENTON – Led by state Senator Nia Gill, the New Jersey State Senate recently celebrated Youth Art Month with passage of a ceremonial resolution recognizing the importance of art education and its contribution to student achievement.

Senator Gill, D-Essex, presented the resolution to Glenfield Middle School art teacher Catherine Kondreck, as well as students and parents from the middle school, Watchung Elementary and Montclair High School.

“Arts education contributes to the positive social, cognitive and personal development of students at all educational levels,” said Senator Gill. “It is fitting during Youth Art Month, which is celebrated nationally each March, to recognize the important work of art educators who open the imaginations of students, encourage creativity and individuality, and in effect, help prepare our children for the world.”

Ms. Kondreck, who accepted the resolution on behalf of the group, also serves as the Essex County Youth Art Month chair for the Art Educators of New Jersey - an organization founded in 1939 that promotes visual arts education statewide. She stressed the importance of art education as a means to foster positive educational outcomes by giving students an outlet for their creative energies.

“Art is so much more than drawing and painting,” Kondreck said.

According to Art Educators of New Jersey, students who participate regularly in the arts are more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, elected to class office, awarded for school attendance or to participate in math and science fairs.

“I definitely know that I’ve made so many more friends in Art class,” said Mira Linaugh, a seventh-grade student at Glenfield Middle School. “Every day that I have it, I’m looking forward to it.”

“It’s important for people to express their feelings through art,” said Aliza Sabin, also a seventh-grade student at Glenfield. “And it’s fun.”

Youth Art Month is celebrated to promote the benefits of art education for K-12 students and encourage support for quality school art programs. New Jersey’s celebration includes an exhibit at Newark’s Hall of Records for the month of March, with a reception on March 22, 2010 from 12 PM-1 PM. The exhibit features work from some of Essex County’s most talented students.

Warren County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Warren County Yam Art show for this year was as great a success as last year! Over 200 people attended during the reception with still more coming to visit in the month after.

The Performing Arts Quartet graced the Independence Municipal Building in Great Meadows with wonderful classical music that was a pleasure to listen to. Although the rock music was playing downstairs for the young folk there were some young audiences upstairs enjoying the live music! Food was donated by AENJ and ShopRite!
And a special thanks to the Warren Co. Cultural and Heritage Commission would without their donation of art boards and music we would not have much of a party!

Sussex County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T09:13:00.002-07:00

Over 200 people attended the Sussex County Youth Art Month reception on March 25, 2010 at the Public Gallery, County Courthouse in Newton. During the entire month of March, over 120 beautiful pieces of artwork created by students from both public and private schools were displayed. This exhibit was truly a delight for the eyes! There are always such positive comments from Courthouse visitors. Many thanks are extended to Sussex County art teachers for providing refreshments. Thank you also to Linda Hirsch and the Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council for co-sponsoring this exhibit.

Somerset County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T09:13:00.001-07:00

The Somerset County Youth Art Month Exhibit was hosted once again by the Somerset Art Association it was a two-part exhibit sponsored by the Art Educators of New Jersey to celebrate Youth Art Month.

Part I of the exhibit displayed works created by Somerset county students in grades K-5 ran March 1-14 with an artist’s reception 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 14.

Part II will showcased works from Somerset county students in grades 6-12 and ran March 18-28 with an artist’s reception 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 28.

The following schools participated: Mount Prospect, Oak Street, Liberty Corner, Cedar Hill & William Annin Middle schools in Basking Ridge, Woods Road in Hillsborough, Central Middle School in Branchburg, Bridgewater-Raritan High School, Bound Brook High School, Somerville High School, Montgomery Upper & Lower Middle school in Skillman, the Robert Morris School in South Bound Brook, Gill St. Bernard School in Gladstone and Purnell School in Pottersville.

Since 1970, the Somerset Art Association has been a strong advocate of quality, educational visual arts programming for children, teens and adults.
"The arts play a vital role in a child's development by helping to build self-confidence, creative growth and the strengthening of critical thinking skills necessary for academic achievement, " says Robyn Tromeur, the association's executive director. "We are delighted to celebrate Youth Art Month once again this year by partnering with the Art Educators of New Jersey, a non-profit organization which aims to promote and maintain the highest possible degree of quality instruction in visual arts programming throughout New Jersey."

Passaic County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Louis Bay Library once again hosted the Art Educators of New Jersey’sPassaic County Youth Art Month Exhibit at the William Monaghan Gallery. This is the 5th year that the Hawthorne branch has been a gracious supporter of the Arts. Mayor Richard Goldberg proclaimed March as Youth Art Month with Karen Sudol, YAM chairperson for Passaic County, at a council televised meeting and also welcomed the guests at the Passaic County reception which was held on March 24th, 2010. The Passaic County Freeholders once again acknowledged the six state Passaic County art students with certificates of recognition representing Passaic County in the State Art Show.

The reception was an exciting festivity. Passaic County T shirts made with the assistance of Kathy Benevento were available for students who participated during the reception as an art project. A special addition to the festivities was the participation of Senator John Girgenti, who provided certificates of recognition for all participating Passaic County YAM students as well as the students who provided the music portion of the evening. Karen Sudol, chair, and Kelly DeFeo orchestrated the evening with entertainment by the Bloomingdale Elementary School chorus followed by North Haledon's chorus and then finally the return of the Clifton strings ensemble integrating music in the art reception. Co-chair Fran Machcinski kept a wonderful table of delicious sandwiches and cookies for the students and guests, while Virginia Phillipy welcomed the students as they entered the reception with Passaic County AENJ certificates. The Passaic County YAM Exhibit hosted over 100 pieces of art work and once again, had quite the festive reception.

Ocean County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T09:06:00.001-07:00

A terrific time was had by all at the Ocean County YAM reception. Students, teachers, parents and family were all on hand for the beautiful winter day in March. We were excited to have a new venue to display the amazing work done by the students at the Ocean County Artists Guild in Island Heights. The students and parents could really see how important the organizers- Holly Callahan, Karen Blenner, Gayle Hegerich and Heather DeConde- felt in displaying the student work in a gallery setting. The Chair and Co-Chairs were pleased with the turn out and are hoping to have a greater participation from teachers and students next year.

Morris County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

Morris County’s Youth Art Month celebration is now concluded, and what a celebration it was! Held at the Dover site of Saint Claire’s Hospital, the show treated children, families, teachers, administrators, as well as visitors to the hospital to artworks that showcased our students’ talents and the excellent visual art programs throughout the County. Retired Morristown art educator Janet Soukup was excited to see all the excellent effort while Randolph Arts supervisor David Aulenbach was impressed by all the hard work that went into putting up such an impressive body of work. A newly relocated parent was happy he made the move to Morris County where his young daughter is enjoying art in her new school. There were Kodak moments aplenty as the young artists proudly posed in front of their works with huge smiles. The selections included whimsical sculptures and wonderful two-dimensional pieces that were done in paints, pastels, markers, crayons, and, of course; mixed media collages. All the works celebrated the best of our County’s thoughtful curricula and the excitement generated by our students as they communicated their love and ideas through the visual arts. It’s exciting to see a kindergartener’s art displayed next to older student’s artworks. Where they started and how far they have come is so exciting.

Upon arriving the children and their families were welcomed and signed in by our volunteer greeters. Youth Art Chair Stacy Watson had prepared a sweet gift bag with art supply samples generously donated by Sax-School Specialty, Dick Blick, Nasco, Crayola, and Artsonia. This year’s theme “Planet Earth” resonated on the gift bags, reception and refreshment tables as well as certificates and program covers. Teachers were presented with a YAM Pin and gift folder designed by Randolph’s Center Grove students in the theme. Guest artist David Ohlerking added to the festivities by creating charcoal portrait sketches of those in attendance. Donations made went to the Mary Gill Art Scholarship of Morris County, the only visual art scholarship offered to county art students pursuing a career in the visual arts and accepted into a certified art program. Live music was provided by six talented members of the Randolph High School’s Woodwind Ensemble and added to the beauty of the day. The artwork, from three hundred-ten students from ten districts under the tutelage of nineteen art educators, was enjoyed by all in attendance. Many thanks for a job well done should be extended to all of the above’ but especially to our new Youth Art Month chair, Ms. Stacy Watson, who added so much of herself to this exhibit. She is a young professional who came in with enthusiasm, fresh ideas, and a love for her students and the students of Morris County. Mere thanks don’t seem enough.
Respectively submitted,
Trish Barter-Varrichio
Retired AENJ Art Educator

Monmouth County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T09:01:00.001-07:00

Once again there was a huge turnout at the Monmouth County YAM Exhibit!

On March 23rd, around 6:00 pm, students, their families, and friends, along with their teachers and some principals, started arriving at the Middletown Arts Center to attend the 2010 Monmouth County Youth Art Month Exhibit and Reception. The reception was the culmination of a two and a half week long exhibit that showcased the diverse talent of students, ranging from kindergarten through high school, from across Monmouth County. There was beautiful artwork to view and light refreshments along with the handing out of certificates and citations to the students. Each student was given certificates from the Art Educators of New Jersey, a place to exhibit their work on Artsonia (the largest International online gallery), and a citation from the New Jersey Legislature signed by Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, Assemblyman Declan J. O’Scanlon, Jr., and Senator Jennifer Beck. These Legislators also presented each teacher with a citation for their “dedicated efforts in promoting and achieving artistic excellence among their students.” In addition, the Monmouth County Chairs were also presented with an official proclamation endorsing the arts as being an integral part of education in the state of New Jersey.

The show was a multimedia display consisting of more than 125 pieces in a variety of artistic mediums from watercolors, tempera, acrylics, pastels, collage, pen and ink, and photographs, to clay, metal, fabric, packing tape, and wood constructions. The students were thrilled to see their work on display and were delighted to receive the official citation from the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly. Congratulations to all our talented students in Monmouth County and their dedicated art teachers.

Middlesex County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

During one of the worst storms we’ve had this year, water weary art enthusiasts continued to file into Middlesex County College’s Art Gallery for the annual YAM Exhibit. Seventeen schools and over 50 student artists participated this year. With over 175 guests in attendance the conversations were all about the art. It was as though no one cared about the weather.

Dr.Patrick Piegari, Middlesex County Superintendent of Schools, returned this year to read the proclamation. It was an honor to have him in attendance showing his support for the arts.

Our very own Senator Joe Vitale also addressed the students with inspiring words and was in awe of the talented students represented this year. We were very thankful to have him as our speaker for the event. Having dignitaries of this magnitude sends an important message to educators and students alike that what they’re doing is important.

We were fortunate, considering the economy to receive donations both monetary and in kind which allowed us to reward students with materials so they can continue to create art. A special thank you to General Pencil Company, Staples, and the PTA from South River.

After the last guest exited the building and the room became strangely quiet we had time to reflect back on the day’s events. We had in fact hosted a successful show and we are hoping to continue growing next year.

Mercer County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

Hunterdon YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T08:54:00.001-07:00

Student artwork from various schools in Hunterdon County, gradesK-12, was on exhibit in the lobby of the Hunterdon Medical Center. A closing reception was held on Saturday, March 27th, from 3:00 pm to 5:00pm, for all participating artists, their family, friends, and their art teachers. Hands-on art activities and refreshments (donated by the Shop-Rite of Clinton, NJ ) were provided. Students who had artwork displayed in the show were also recognized at a 3:30 awards ceremony.

"Nothing encourages children more than a wonderful Visual Arts school program which provides our students with the opportunity to express themselves and let their imaginations soar and creativity flow,"says veteran Clinton Township Art Teacher, Debbie Paragone.

Hudson County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T08:51:00.001-07:00

We are growing and growing here in Hudson County and it was a very successful Youth Art Month this year for Hudson YAM. We had a total of 161 student artworks this year exhibited at the Central Rail Road Terminal in Liberty State Park. Schools from Jersey City, Hoboken, West New York, and Kearny participated in this year’s show. We had a very generous donation from General Pencil Company’s CEO Jim Weisserborn, whose company is based in Jersey City. Each participating student artist received a pencil pack from the company. Students created Youth Art Month pipe cleaner people as an activity at the closing reception.

Essex County YAM

2010-07-03T08:48:00.001-07:00

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. welcomed 100 students from throughout Essex County to the Essex County Hall of Records for the Art Educators of New Jersey student art exhibit on Monday, March 22nd. This is the sixth consecutive year DiVincenzo has partnered with the Art Educators of New Jersey to present the student artists exhibit.

During the months of February and March, the first floor lobby of the Hall of Records was transformed into a student art gallery. Employees and visitors to the County building were treated to the colorful and lifelike paintings and drawings.

"Essex County has some very creative and talented student artists at all age levels from elementary to high school. The original artwork that is included in our exhibit is truly inspiring," DiVincenzo said. "I am proud to partner with the Art Educators of New Jersey for the sixth consecutive year to present this beautiful exhibit. This is an opportunity to promote our students' positive achievements and enables the general public to see the talent in our schools throughout the County," he added.

This year's show featured original works of art created by 100 students who range in age from elementary school to high school level. The students came from 34 different Essex County schools.

Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

In March, I ventured off to the southern part of New Jersey. The CUMBERLAND, GLOUCESTER & SALEM COUNTY YAm show was an amazing event. YAM Chairs Sandra Koberlein and Kathy Gross put together a beautiful show. The facility was filled with art from floor to ceiling . What I found interesting was the wide array of art. In addition to the creative and beautiful hung work there was book art, junk art, group art, collective sculpture installments. Wow! It was all great!
Beyond the exhibit the YAM chairs had set up activities for creative expression. There were opportunities for kids to create paint draw or even participate in an empty bowls event. There were opportunities to make bowls, or glaze bowls. The bowls will be fired and saved for an empty bowl soup day in the future.
This was a wonderful YAM show at a facility that I have never been to. Appel Farms Arts and Music Center in Elmer NJ is a rare gem for the state of New Jersey. I met Mr. Appel and was honored to take a tour of this facility. Through his love of the arts he has created this enclave for children and adults. This facility is beautiful! There are art studios and galleries, kilns, performing arts theaters and so much more. Check out their web site! http://www.appelfarm.org//

Camden County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

This year’s Camden County Youth Art Month celebration included a month long exhibit held at the Cherry Hill Public Library. The library graciously donated their gallery space for the event. The library is a very busy place and the student’s artwork was viewed seven days a week by hundreds of people daily. Students, their families and friends as well as their art teachers attended a reception held at the library on Tuesday evening March 9th where students received a certificate for participating in the event.

Burlington County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T08:41:00.001-07:00

This year the Burlington County YAM was on exhibit at the North Hanover Township Upper Elementary School located in Wrightstown NJ. This exhibit had a spacious lobby along with showcases for 3D art work this year!
The closing reception was held Friday Evening March 26th with awards, light refreshments and an Art Palette shape cake! Over 250 people were in attendance.
Burlington County Chair Pat Carper-Brown along with her two co-chairs Kathleen Cunningham and Sherry Springsteen want to thank everyone who helped make this another successful YAM!

Bergen County YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T08:39:00.001-07:00

This year many proud teachers, principals, board members, parents, students, and more participated in this years 2010 Youth Art Month opening reception on Thursday night, March 11th at IKEA, Paramus. Students volunteered to help out with hand-painting, free-time drawing table, and more. Children were so excited to draw with the volunteers and have their hand/face painted. Teachers, students, parents, and staff at IKEA helped out with donating refreshments. Park Avenue Bakery in East Rutherford also provided us with wraps and snacks.
The Bergen County Executive, Dennis McNerney, visited and commended all schools and teachers who participated with YAM 2010. Schools and teachers all received certificates for putting all efforts together in order to create this huge county show.
“Thank you to all of the Bergen County teachers for putting the time and effort for this huge and important event dedicated to the Arts”. Genecie Camacho-Azzollini

Atlantic and Cape May YAM Exhibit

2010-07-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

Atlantic/Cape May County Youth Art Month Exhibit 2010 was held at the Noyes Museum of Art in Oceanville, NJ. The Noyes Museum has graciously opened their student gallery to YAM for the past several years. There were over 260 in attendance. The Youth Art Gallery was alive with artists, their families and friends. The event was also attended by Atlantic County Special Services Superintendent, Lizbeth Buoro, who commented, “Wonderful exhibition- What talented artists!” AENJ’s Barbra Calvo and Jude Harzer were on hand to lend support and aided greatly in taking photos and extending warm welcome to all guests. Guests snacked on food and drinks donated by participating teachers, businesses, and organizations. Students received beautiful certificates designed and donated by graphic artist William Ezell. Students were also recognized for their achievements by Cape May County Senator Jeff Van Drew as they each received a signed commendation. Atlantic County Senator James Whelan personally came to congratulate the student artists. The Sweeney family of Atlantic County summed up the days events in their comment “Love this show!”

On March 6, 2010, AENJ board members, Barbara Calvo and Jude Harzer attended the Atlantic and Cape May Counties’ YAM exhibit to support students and educators alike. Held at the Noyes Museum in Oceanville, NJ, the show featured works from 11 schools and 136 students. Impressive recycled object sculptures, cast paper multicultural masks and Pop Art tempera self portraits were some of the works that were included in the YAM student display.
YAM county co- chairs, Kathy Nichols and Lisa Confora, helped to arrange the event with assistance from colleagues, students and other volunteers. Senator James Whelan was among the many guests who attended this year’s exhibit. Another special guest : Senator Jeff Van Drew ,was unable to attend but sent a signed commendation for each of the participating student artists. Administrators such as Atlantic County Special Services School District Superintendent, Ms. Elizabeth Buoro ,colleagues, family, and friends joined to celebrate the successes of the many young artists that were represented in this show.
After viewing the YAM exhibit, guests enjoyed an abundance of delicious refreshments and were able to view the Noyes Museum special galleries which included an exhibition of works by Susan Reese Horvitz and Robert Roesch entitled, “Transduction: Myths of The Sea and The Solar Boat”, and a group clay artist exhibit entitled: Mish Mash Strikes Back:
Contemporary Clay Redefined.
Congratulations to all of our Atlantic and Cape May County students for sharing their beautiful Art . The entire display reflected the passion and high level of quality art education that exists in these NJ schools. Bravo!

Sussex County YAM

2009-04-15T12:11:00.001-07:00

On April 1, 2009, students, teachers and administrators packed the Sussex County Courthouse complex to view beautiful artwork created by Sussex County's talented artists. Drawings, paintings and collages transformed the interior of the public gallery into one filled with color and design.

There was standing room only as the public enjoyed refreshments and viewed over 170 pieces of artwork. Many thanks to all of Sussex County's hardworking art teachers who make this all possible and to State Assemblywoman Alison Litell McHose for attending the festivities.

Essex County YAM

2009-04-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

The Essex County YAM festivities were once again held at the Essex County Hall of Records in Newark, NJ. Joseph DiVincenzo, Essex County Executive, once again helped sponsor the event and support the arts in Essex County. It was a wonderful exhibit that was well attended by students, their families, their art teachers and superviors...even assemblywomen!
The families walked around and viewed the artwork that was located in the welcoming room of the Hall of Records. At noon, an awards presentation began with the many very important speakers. Each school was recognized and official photos were taken by the Essex County Press Office.

A special thanks to Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. and the following supporters for making this YAM Exhibit wonderful:

Chief of Staff Philip B. Alagia, Deputy Chief of Staff and NJ State Senator M. Teresa Ruiz, Deputy Chief of Staff William D. Payne, Constituent Services Director Joyce L. Goldman, Scheduler Ana Santos, County Administrator Joyce Wilson Harley, Esq., Assistant County Administrator Sheila Y. Oliver, Essex County Sheriff & Coordinator of Emergency Management Armando B. Fontoura, Senator Nia H. Gill, Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin, and Assemblywoman Sheila Y. Oliver.

Atlantic & Cape May Counties' YAM

2009-04-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

Linda Devlin attended the Atlantic County Cape May YAM Show at the Noyes Museum. The show was wonderful. Sharon Reustle does such a wonderful job organizing this event; her students even help hang the show. Below is a picture of Sharon with her student helpers.
Student artists and parents wondered around looking at their artwork and were able to take advantage of four other galleries filled with art work by David Ahlsted, and an exhibit titled National Association of Women Artists: Celebrating 120 Years.

The Atlantic and Cape May Counties' YAM has their own gallery and art work literally goes from floor to ceiling and back again. This show was interesting because there was a sound presence of art work created by high school students. Nice to see!

Linda Devlin, AENJ President, stated "I believe this is the last YAM show that I know of. I really have enjoyed my YAM journey across the state of NJ. Next year I promise to try and get to more exhibits. I am impressed by the great work done by our students and the amazing job of the YAM Chairs! Carrie I thank you on behalf of AENJ for the wonderful leadership you provided for these chairs. Your dedication to Advocacy is astounding."

Warren County YAM

2009-03-31T06:08:00.000-07:00

On March 27th Warren County Art Teachers came together at the Independence Township Municipal Building to create a wonderful display of elementary and middle school student art work. The creativity expressed by these teachers and their students was wonderful to behold. From three dimensional works in yarn, watercolors, paintings, and clay creatures to architectural constructions, the various styles of art instilled in many a sense of new possibilities!
Once the show opened, the musicians filed in and the wonderful string ensemble with oboe began, compliments of the Warren County Cultural and Heritage Commission! Beautiful sounds emerged throughout the first floor of food, drinks and art work as parents and children from the different communities began to arrive. Signing the guest book created a backup at the entrance, so many began to slide past the signers to get a seat at the concert! As families drifted past and started toward the lower level, the crowds began to thin until you went downstairs and everyone was admiring the art work! Food went fast, and the two parking lots were jammed with cars parked 100 yards away to the end of the driveway!

It was a wonderful community opportunity!

Monmouth County YAM

2009-03-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Monmouth County YAM celebration was jam-packed and standing room only this past week. It was amazing to see the budding young artists and their proud family members! The artwork was incredible and the venue couldn't have been better. The Middletown Arts Center was the perfect back drop for the stunning art and the theater was the perfect place to celebrate each and every artist.

On hand to help the YAM county chairs , Lonell Klina and Arlene Smelson, was the honorable Assemblywoman, Caroline Casagrande, who handed out the certificates and stayed for some fantastic photo opportunities. Also in attendance were AENJ President, Linda Devlin along with Barbara Calvo, Teri Trumpbour and Karen Blenner.

Congratulations to Monmouth County for an amazing evening with the arts!!!!

Burlington County YAM

2009-03-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

Burlington County's YAM was held at the Burlington County Comunity College on the evening of March 27th. The event was was well attended by student artists, parents, grandparents and art teachers. Pat Carper Brown and her two co- chairs, Kathleen Cunningham & Sherry Springsteen, did an excellent job of organizing the county show. The children were lost to delicious "air brushed" cup cakes to celebrate the NJ theme "Celebrate Art" .

Passaic County YAM

2009-03-28T05:47:00.001-07:00

The Passaic County YAM was held at the Lewis Bay Library in Hawthorne, NJ. The event was a huge success!
Kathy Benevento was once again our Passaic County YAM Chair along with Karen Stasik Sudol. The mayor of Hawthorne stopped by the YAM festivities along with the Hawthorne Police Chief. Everyone was excited to see these two VIPs at the event.

As students walked in, they were asked to sign in. Many of them took their time writing as if they were creating a piece of art with their signature. The students and their families then enjoyed the artwork and the yummy refreshments.

The YAM families were also treated to live music provided by local Passaic County schools. First an elementary band played some music, then a HS orchestra took over.

Even with all this excitement, students and their families took time to sit, relax, enjoy the music and create some art. Some students doodled on paper, while others colored in t-shirts that could be purchased at the sign in table.

What a wonderful day for art in Passaic County!

State YAM Reception Elementary & MS

2009-03-28T05:43:00.001-07:00

State YAM Reception- High School

2009-03-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

Hunterdon County YAM

2009-03-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Hunterdon YAM was Jammed!!! We had a full-house attend the Third Hunterdon YAM Artists Reception on Sunday, March 22nd. Grandparents, parents, and lots of children viewed the Art on display.

The children also enjoyed drawing and sculpting cakes and other creatures with model magic clay.

Our sponsors donated art supplies, cookies and juice for our young artists. Many families hung around the gallery for the duration of the event. A good time was had by all!

The link to the Hunterdon YAM website is: http://yamhunterdon.webs.com/ State YAM selections can be seen here: http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=115139

Bergen County YAM

2009-03-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

Bergen County's YAM was once again a great success! Hundreds if not thousands of people jam-packed the exhibit area of the IKEA Paramus Restaurant!

Artwork from schools all over Bergen County provided their own free standing exhibit boards for the artwork. It felt like a real gallery, weaving in and out of these amazing pieces of art! Not only were proud families and art teachers in attendance, but there were MANY principals and administrators at the event, sharing in the enjoyment and excitment of the arts! AENJ Fellows, Rick Lasher & Gloria Pappalardo also stopped by.

Children were also treated to a face painting table and a doodle table, where children of all ages used crayons and paint markers, or as I like to call them "dotters." Kudos to Genecie Camacho for another great job this year!

2009-03-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

The Somerset County Youth Art Month Exhibit is held at the Somerset Art Associaton (SAA) in Bedminister, NJ and is chaired by AENJ Past President, Susan Bivona. The exhibit has been at SAA for the past 7 years and a BIG thank you goes out to Robyn Tromeur, Director of SAA and all the volunteers from SAA who helped hang this exhibit. Student artists and their families enjoyed viewing the artwork and were inspired as they walked throught the exhibit and art studios.

Cool paint buckets were on display at the refreshment table and sponsor forms were scattered throughout the event. TARGET was even a sponsor of the event!

This K-6 YAM Exhibit was the first part of the Somerset YAM Festivities. The next celebration will be on March 29th for Grades 7-12. Great job Susan!

All the work can be viewed at our Artsonia, On-line Gallery @ www.artsonia.com/somerset1

Cumberland, Gloucester & Salem YAM

2009-03-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today, Teri Trumpbour and Jude Harzer attended a YAM event in South Jersey at Appel Farms.

It was awesome! They had great attendance! It was beautiful, well organized,and there were many hands on activities (along with great refreshments!)

There were 2 Sandy Skoglund inspired installations...one had 1,000 ceramic white mice made by students and the other was cast plaster hands! Great fun!
The YAMs on Parade Activity was one of our Grant Winners and was well worth AENJ's grant money. Students created their own unique "Potato Heads" using YAMS and craft supplies. The children had a great time!

This tri-county YAM exhibit was very impressive and Jude & Teri even had the opportunity to meet Mr. Appel who started the art complex 50 years ago for his creative children in the midst of farm country!

Flat Stanley Appears....

2009-03-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

Flat Stanley appears at NJ YAM Events!
Flat Stanley had fun making origami at the Hudson County YAM Reception...

be on the lookout for Flat Stanley and his cousins at an art event near you!

Middlesex County YAM

2009-03-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

March 14th was a busy day! After attending the Hudson County YAM, I went down the Turnpike to Middlesex County's YAM Festivities at the Middlesex County College Campus. The YAM exhibit was on display in a college student gallery with natural lighting. Many families and artists were already there posing for pictures and smiling proudly.

Joanne Gianfrancesco did a wonderful job with the exhibit and also in advocacy. Most of the senators and assemblymen in the county along with some mayors proclaimed March as Youth Art Month. Governor Corzine send a proclamation and asked the Middlesex Executive County Superintendent, Patrick Piegari, to attend the reception in his place. Patrick Piegari read the proclamation to the crowd and discussed the importance of the arts. Then awards were given to each student artist with a great goodie bag filled with art supplies donated by Triarco, Sax and Blick!

Joanne also displayed all of the proclamations on a table along with a poster showing the 6 pieces selected to represent the county at the Statehouse. Yummy brownies, cookies and other refreshments were also available on another table.

Another great county YAM event!

Hudson County YAM

2009-03-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

On March 14th, I had the pleasure of attending the Hudson County YAM Reception at the Historic CRRNJ Train Station. What an amazing site! It is on Liberty State Island with views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the NYC Skyline.

Hundreds of people during the week of March 7th to March 14th viewed the artwork as they boarded the Liberty Ferries! The artwork was displayed on both easels and existing red display units that the State Park loaned for YAM use.

Many participating artists and their families attended the reception with their art teachers to receive their award and a free gift donated by General Pencil. A YAM Flag was displayed next to Artsonia copies of the 6 State Winners' entries that will be on display in Trenton. Brochures were also available for everyone to take home as a momento.

KUDOS to Ed Lu and Jenn Tiongson for finding this wonderful reception site and for creating this wonderful event for the children of Hudson County!

View the Hudson County YAM art online at: www.artsonia.com/schools/aenj2

Thank You Board

2009-03-13T20:19:00.001-07:00

Our new THANK YOU BOARD for companies that donated products to our YAM event.
* Artsonia- discounted boxes of art cards
* Blick Art Materials- Six $25 gift certificates for YAM Design Winners
* Costco of Union- $20 Gift Card for refreshments
* Dunkin' Donuts- discounted Boxes of Joe
* Nasco- sample boxes of Crayola pastels for YAM artists
* Sargent- art supply for YAM artists
* Sax Arts- sample markers for YAM artists
* Shop Rite of Garwood- cookie platters
* Wagner Foto Screen Process- setup printing fees for YAM T-shirts

State YAM Setup

2009-03-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our State YAM Setup! A big thanks go to Debbie Greh, Jude Harzer, Sharon Henneborn, Ursula Accumanno & her daughter, Linda Devlin, and Ellen Silverman for helping with the YAM Setup- it was up in the blink of an eye! Setup started around 4:45pm and was completely finished by 6:15pm.

Here's your sneak peek at the Exhibit:

Hope to see many of you at the Closing Reception on March 20th! For more info, go to http://www.aenj.org/

Camden County YAM

2009-03-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, March 10th students, families and art teachers enjoyed the Youth Art Month display at the Cherry Hill Library. The YAM display was featured downstairs in the Conference Center of the library.
Dawn Carson, who was a first year YAM Chair for Camden County, did a wonderful job with thanks to her co-chair, Kandy Lippincott. Delicious refreshments were available, certificates were made for each student and directional signs were posted in various spots.

A representative from the Mayor's Office of Cherry Hill stopped by to see the exhibit and present an official Youth Art Month proclamation to Dawn & Kandy.
It was a wonderful event for all!

Governor Proclaims Youth Art Month!

2009-03-13T19:55:00.001-07:00

Ocean County YAM

2009-03-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

The Ocean County YAM celebration was held today at the Jackson Public Library in Jackson, NJ from noon to one. Ninety three pieces of art from over fifteen schools were on display in one of the library's special art galleries. The art can also be seen online at: www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=110103

Students, teachers and families attended the festivities put together by Ocean County YAM Chairs, Holly Callahan and Karen Blenner. Everyone walked around and admired the artwork and congratulated each other. The Art National Honor Society from Jackson High School was also on hand to volunteer their time painting the children's faces.

A proclamation by Senator Lautenberg was also on display next to AENJ's YAM Sponsor form and a Donation Jug....which already had a few dollars in it!

Color copies of Ocean County's State YAM selections were also on display. These students were honored with personalized YAM 2009 totebags as a special gift.

It was a wonderful YAM afternoon! Great job Ocean County!

Union County Youth Art Month at IKEA!

2009-03-02T11:14:00.001-08:00

On Feb. 25th, 122 pieces of art were showcased at the Union County Youth Art Month Exhibit at IKEA Elizabeth. The artwork is displayed in IKEA's Rotunda Balcony and can be viewed through March 30th. The artwork can also be seen at www.artsonia.com/schools/unioncounty1.

More than 30 teachers in the county participated and more than 20 of them joined us in the festivities at IKEA.

Art Teachers from Berkeley Heights, Plainfield, Roselle Park,

Springfield, Union & Westfield

Art Teachers from Berkeley Heights, Clark, Elizabeth,
Garwood, Hillside, and Scotch Plains/Fanwood

In addition to the YAM Reception, San D Hasselmann and her Puppet Club from Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark volunteered to show the participating students how to create puppets! The hands-on workshop was a success!

Youth Art Month has started!

2009-03-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

It's March and YAM has started in the Garden State! Many thanks to the following YAM Chairs & Co-Chairs for volunteering their time to make YAM a huge success:

Ursula Accumanno, Lonnie Austin, Charlotte Banks, Kathy Benevento, Susan Bivona, Karen Blenner, Holly Callahan, Genecie Camacho, Pat Carper Brown, Dawn Carson, Janice Chassier, Kathleen Cunningham, Carrie Davey, Beth Delaney, Diane Driessen, Joanne Gianfrancesco, Lorraine Hill, Maggie Horsey, Lonell Klina, Sandra Koberlein, Kandy Lippincott, Susan Lisbin, Ed Lu, Sara O'Neill, Karen Pilkington, Sharon Reustle, Donna Schrader, Arlene Smelson, Sherry Springsteen, Karen Sudol, Jenn Tiongson, Stacy Watson, and Kendra Weiss.

Youth Art Month NJ 2009

2009-02-22T15:20:00.000-08:00

ATLANTIC/ CAPE MAY
Sharon Reustle: reustles@eht.k12.nj.us
Exhibit: April 2nd to April 30th
Noyes Museum
Lily Lake Road, Oceanville, NJ 08231
Reception: April 4th,
1:00 to 3:00PM

BERGEN
Genecie Camacho: gene0812@msn.com
Exhibit: March 19th to April 23rd
IKEA Paramus Cafe
Route 17 South, Paramus, NJ
Reception: March 19th,
6:00 to 8:00PM

BURLINGTON
Pat Carper Brown: lakefrontview@earthlink.net
Kathleen Cunningham & Sherry Springsteen, Co-Chairs
Exhibit: March 23rd to March 27th
Burlington County College, Pemberton Campus’ Student Center Lounge
Reception: March 27th,
6:00pm to 7:00pm

CAMDEN
Dawn Carson: rmc82_2000@yahoo.com
Kandy Lippincott, Co-Chair
Exhibit: March 1- March 31
Cherry Hill Public Library www.chplnj.org
1100 Kings Highway North,
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
Reception: March 10th,
6:00-8:00pm

CUMBERLAND, GLOUCESTER & SALEM Janice Chassier: chassier4@comcast.net
Lorraine Hill- lorrathill@hotmail.com, Diane Driessen- Ellyt3@aol.com
and Sandra Koberlein- slkoberlein@msn.com
Exhibit: One Day Show- Sunday, March 15
Appel Farms Arts and Music Center
Elmer-Shirley Rd., Elmer, NJ 08318
Reception: March 15th,
2:00-5:00pm

ESSEX
Lonnie Austin: LA3355@gmail.com
Essex County Hall of RecordsMartin Luther King Blvd., Newark, NJ
Reception: March 31st, 11:00am

HUDSON
Ed Lu & Jenn Tiongson: hudsonaenj@gmail.com
Exhibit Dates: March 9th to March 14th
Waiting Room of CRRNJ Rail Terminal, Jersey City
Reception: March 14th,
11:00am to 1:00pm

HUNTERDON
Ursula Accumanno: uaccumanno@aenj.org
Exhibit Dates: March 15th to March 22nd
Hunterdon Medical Center, Second Lobby
2100 Wescott Drive, Flemington, NJ
Reception: March 22nd,
2:00 to 4:00pm

MERCER
YAM Chair Needed!

MIDDLESEX
Joanne Gianfrancesco: Gian74@aol.com
Exhibit: March 7th to March 14th
Middlesex County College
2600 Woodbridge Avenue, Edison, NJ 08818
College Center- 3rd Floor Art Gallery
Reception: March 14th, 2:00pm

MONMOUTH
Lonell Klina: lklina@longbranch.k12.nj.us & Arlene Smelson: asmelson@yahoo.com
Exhibit: March 14th to March 26th
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ
Reception: March 26th,
6:00-7:30pm

MORRIS
Donna Schrader: Mom2duffy@hotmail.com
Kendra Weiss, Co-Chair
Saint Clare’s Hospital-Dover Campus
Exhibit: March 1st to March 28th
Saint Clare’s Hospital- Dover Campus
400 West Blackwell Street, Dover, NJ
Reception: March 28th,
2:00-4:00pm

OCEAN
Holly Callahan: hlcallahan@jacksonsd.org
& Karen Blenner, kblenner@jacksonsd.org
Exhibit: February 28th to March 28th
Jackson Branch of Ocean County Library System
Reception: March 7th,
12:00-1:00pm

PASSAIC
Kathy Benevento: KABENEVENTOART15@aol.com
Exhibit: March 7th to March 28th
Louis Bay Library, William Monaghan III Gallery
Lafayette Avenue, Hawthorne
Reception: March 24th,
6:00-8:00pm

SOMERSET
Susan Bivona: spbivona@earthlink.net
Somerset Art Association,
2020 Burnt Mills Road, Bedminster, NJ 07921
Part I - (K - 5th grades)Exhibit: March 8th - March 15th Reception: March 15th,
2:00-3:30pm
Part II (6th - 12th grades)
Exhibit: March 22nd - March 29th Reception: March 29th,
2:00-3:30pm

SUSSEX
Beth Delaney: fredonart@hotmail.com & Sara O’Neill: soneill@stanhopeschools.org
Exhibit: March 2nd - April 1st
Sussex County Courthouse, Newton, NJ
Reception: April 1st,
5:30 - 7 pm

UNION
Carrie Davey: Barbie0414@comcast.net
Charlotte Banks & Karen Pilkington, Co-Chairs
Exhibit: February 25th - March 1st
Ikea, Elizabeth, NJ
Reception: February 25th at 5:30pm, Restaurant

WARREN
Maggie Horsey: mhorsey@gmrsd.com
Exhibit: TBA
Independence Municipal Building
286 Route 46, Great Meadows, NJ
Reception: March 27th,
6:00-7:00pm

NJ State YAM

2008-07-11T14:35:00.001-07:00

YAM Billboard

2008-07-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Warren County YAM

2008-07-11T14:32:00.001-07:00

Union County YAM

2008-07-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

Sussex County YAM

2008-07-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

Ocean County YAM

2008-07-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

Monmouth County YAM

2008-07-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

Middlesex County YAM

2008-07-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

Mercer County YAM

2008-07-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hunterdon County YAM

2008-07-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

Hudson County YAM

2008-07-11T14:22:00.001-07:00

Gloucester County YAM

2008-07-11T14:21:00.001-07:00

Essex County YAM

2008-07-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Camden County YAM

2008-07-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

Burlington County YAM

2008-07-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

Bergen County YAM

2008-07-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Atlantic & Cape May Counties

2008-07-11T14:14:00.001-07:00

Cumberland & Salem Counties YAM

2008-02-27T06:19:00.000-08:00

This year I had the pleasure of attending the Cumberland and Salem County Youth Art Month exhibits chaired by Janice Chassier and held at the Millville Public Library during the Millville “First Night” festivities on Feb. 15th. This show was fabulous because it displayed student art to members of the community. All of the community, which included teachers, students, families, and townspeople, responded to, contemplated, and understood the world through the creative and artistic expression of children.
One of the goals of art education is to teach students to communicate ideas and feeling though the creation of works of art. Displaying students’ artwork provides an opportunity to respond to and think critically about works of art made by students of various ages, from different cultures and places within their state. Students engage in the assessing the work peers and relate to their own artwork with a new perspective. Students think about how their peers have created art that deals with different issues such as race, ethics, justice and ecology as well as understanding various cultures within their community. Students who create art have conceptualized and categorized their life experiences and those who take the time to consider art are exercising a basic human inclination to wonder about, talk about and organize their experiences with the world through the medium of art.

Laura Petrovich-Cheney
Vice President, AENJ
www.aenj.org
www.artsonia.com/schools/clifton1
luvtoteachart@gmail.com

Pre-YAM Dinner

2008-02-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

On February 7th, twenty Youth Art Month chairs and co-chairs from all over New Jersey attended the Pre-YAM Dinner. The purpose of this dinner is to meet with each other and discuss successful strategies for making YAM in NJ a success. Plans are discussed and final details are put together for county shows and the state show in Trenton.

This year, the Pre-YAM dinner had a DESTINATION:LUAU theme to go along with our YAM Theme: DESTINATION: ART!

Enjoy the pics of this successful and motivating night!

Youth Art Month 2008

2008-02-23T07:28:00.000-08:00

That time of year is here again... YOUTH ART MONTH 2008!

Please see where and when YAM is being celebrated in your county:

ATLANTIC/ CAPE MAY
Exhibit: March 4th to March 31st
Noyes Museum
Lily Lake Road
Oceanville, NJ 08231
Reception: March 15th, 2:00 to 4:00PM

BERGEN
IKEA Paramus
Route 17 South, Paramus, NJ
Reception: March 20th, 6:00 to 8:00PM

BURLINGTON
Exhibit: March 10th-15th
Burlington County College, Pemberton Campus’ Student Center Lounge
Reception: March 15th, 11:30am to 12:30pm; Awards presented at 12:30pm

CAMDEN
Exhibit: March 1- March 29
Cherry Hill Public Library Gallery http://www.chplnj.org/
1100 Kings Highway North
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
Reception: March 9, 2:00-3:30pm

CUMBERLAND/SALEM
Exhibit: Feb. 15- March 28
Millville Public Library- Gant Room
210 Buck Street
Millville, NJ
Reception: February 15, 6:00-8:00pm

ESSEX
Essex County Hall of RecordsMartin Luther King Blvd.Newark, NJ
Reception: May 6th, 12 noon

GLOUCESTER
Exhibit Dates: March 3rd to March 13th
Friends School Mullica Hill
15 High Street, Mullica Hill, NJ
Reception: March 13th, 3:00 to 6:00pm

HUDSON
Exhibit Dates: March 2nd to March 13th
Hudson Mall
701 Route 440, Jersey City, NJ
Reception: March 13th, 4:00 to 6:00pm

HUNTERDON
Exhibit Dates: March 9th to March 15th
Hunterdon Medical Center
Route 31 South, Flemington, NJ
Reception: March 15th, 3:00 to 5:00pm

MERCER
Exhibit: March 2- April 6
Mercer County Library, Hickory Corner Branch
Reception: April 6th at 1:30pm

MIDDLESEX
Exhibit: March 9- March 14
Barron Arts Center, Woodbridge
Reception: March 10, 2008, 6:30-8:30pm

MONMOUTH
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street
Middletown, NJ
Reception: March 13th, 6:00-8:00pm

MORRIS
Exhibit: March 1st – March 29th
Saint Clare’s Hospital-Dover Campus
Reception: March 29th, 1:00-3:00pm

OCEAN
Exhibit: Feb 29th to March 29th
Jackson Branch of Ocean County Library System
Reception: March 29th from 1-3pm

PASSAIC
Exhibit: March 3rd to March 29th
Louis Bay Library, Hawthorne
Reception: March 26th from 6-8:30pm

SOMERSET
Somerset Art Association, Bedminster, NJ
Part I: K-5 gradesMarch 9th to March 18th
Reception Sunday, March 9th from 2-3:30pm
Part II: 6-12 grades
March 22nd to April 6th
Reception April 6th from 2-3:30

SUSSEX
Exhibit: March 1st - April 2nd
Sussex County Courthouse, Newton, NJ
Reception: Wednesday, April 2nd from 5:30 - 7 pm

UNION
Exhibit: February 27th - March 31st
Ikea, Elizabeth, NJ
Reception: February 27th at 6:30pm, Restaurant

WARREN
Exhibit: May 2nd – June 30th
Oxford Municipal Building
Reception: TBA

State-wide YAM Celebration

2007-07-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Many teachers, students and their family and friends made the trip to Trenton on a snowy day to view the New Jersey State Youth Art Month exhibit on March 7th. Six pieces of artwork from each county in NJ were selected to be on exhibit by a county YAM committee.
The High School reception was held in the afternoon for all participating 9th to 12th grade students and their teachers and families. At this reception, Lisa Dinhofer, a local artist, shared her experience as an artist and showed slides of her artwork to the students. The students were definitely inspired after seeing Lisa's work. Dale Schmid, the State Coordinator of Visual & Performing Arts, also joined in on the YAM festivities by reading the names of the participating students. Debbie Greh, AENJ Communications Chair, awarded each student with a special YAM Certificate and a black YAM T-Shirt, as Laura Petrovich-Cheney, AENJ Vice-President, photographed the event. Yummy sandwiches and refreshments were enjoyed before the students went back to school.

In the evening, we highlighted our elementary and middle school students in grades K-8. The committee room was packed with families and students in spite of the wintery weather. Carrie Davey, AENJ Advocacy Chair, read the names of the participating students as Susan Bivona, AENJ President, and Linda Devlin, AENJ President-Elect, handed out certificates. Next, the student moved on to our photography station, where Debbie Greh photographed each county group. Finally, the students moved on to our t-shirt station, where Nancy Knutsen, AENJ Historian, and Barbara Calvo, AENJ Membership Chair, helped hand out special teal colored YAM T-Shirts to each student artist. We had the honor of having Dale Schmid attend our evening festivities as well! After the awards, all attendees grabbed some more refreshments and took some more pictures of the artwork before heading home. It was a wonderful and joyous event for all!

Next year's NJ State YAM celebration will take place on Friday, March 14th. To view this year's State YAM artwork, go to www.artsonia.com/schools/aenj1

Hudson County YAM

2007-07-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

This year's Hudson County Youth Art Month exhibition took place in the landmark Loew's Jersey Theater in Jersey City. Co-sponsoring the event was the Friends of the Loew's, Inc. who generously donated the use of the space and their services. The exhibition of work by nearly fifty students was viewed by the student artists, proud families and friends, and teachers in the upper promenade of the grand lobby in an opulent setting of red carpet, gilt ceilings, and mirrored walls. Ten art teachers from public and private schools in Hoboken, Jersey City, West New York, and North Bergen participated in the county-wide observance.

Guests admired the art works during the artists' reception on March 14 while student musician, Paul Castillo and friends provided acoustic guitar accompaniment. Parents and teachers were grateful for the opportunity to see the art work of their students exhibited at the venue and also expressed appreciation for the Artsonia on-line gallery. Children were captivated and inspired by the opportunity to create their own collages and drawings on souvenir YAM bookmarks. All the participants in the exhibit were honored with certificates awarded in a brief ceremony that ended with a performance of original music by a student band, The Untied Laces.

Atlantic & Cape May Counties YAM

2007-07-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

Atlantic/Cape May Counties held their Youth Art Month Exhibit at the Noyes Museum from March 1st through April 10th. There was a total of 125 pieces of artwork on display. A total of ten schools participated in the exhibit. There was an artist’s reception on Saturday March 24th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and approximately 175 people were in attendance. Every student received a Youth Art Month Artist’s Award featuring one of the winners of the YAM Poster contest. The Atlantic/Cape May Counties are already scheduled to have their YAM 2008 exhibit at the Noyes Museum once again. It always proves to be a successful site for our exhibit.

Camden County YAM

2007-07-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

The Echelon Mall in Voorhees was the site of the 2007 Youth Art Month exhibit which featured the works of many talented students from 14 schools. This year’s exhibit included works from every grade level K – 12. Included in the exhibit were works on paper, weavings, masks and papier mache sculpture. Our reception was held on March 25 and was well attended by students, their families and teachers. Congratulations to all our participants and a heartfelt thanks to the community for all their support.

Essex County YAM

2007-07-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

Essex County Executive, Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., welcomed almost 100 students from throughout Essex County to the Hall of Records for the Art Educators of New Jersey’s student art exhibit on Thursday, May 3rd. This is the third consecutive year DiVincenzo has partnered with the Art Educators of New Jersey to present the student artists’ exhibit.

During the month of April, the first floor lobby of the Hall of Records was transformed into a student art gallery. Employees and visitors to the county building were treated to the colorful and lifelike portraits, paintings, and drawings.

“Essex County has some very creative and talented student artists at all age levels from elementary to high school. The original artwork that is included in our exhibit is truly inspiring,” DiVincenzo said. “I am proud to partner with the Art Educators of New Jersey for the third consecutive year to present this beautiful exhibit. This is an opportunity to promote our students’ positive achievements and enables the general public to see the talent in our schools,” he added.

“Art is one of the languages that unites the diversity in Essex County,” said Lonnie Austin, an art teacher from Mount Vernon School in Newark and member of AENJ, who organized the exhibit. “I want to thank Joe DiVincenzo for helping to recognize the student artists in Essex County and the hard work that art teachers do. The collaboration of our schools with the county made this possible,” she added.

Cumberland & Salem Counties' YAM

2007-07-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

Art created by students from Cumberland and Salem Counties was featured in an exhibit in the Gant Room at the Millville Library, 210 Buck St., Millville New Jersey. The show opened with a reception on March 16th as part of the third Friday festivities in Millville. Even with the bad weather, students and parents came to celebrate the arts and to view two rooms filled with art. The show included handmade books, clay sculpture, along with two dimensional works made with a variety of mediums.

Gloucester County YAM

2007-07-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

During the week of March 26th we celebrated Youth Art Month in Gloucester County. A reception sponsored by YAM co-chairs Kathy Gross, Jane Graziano, and Dawn Carson, was held March 29th in Education Hall on the campus of Rowan University. Many of the talented artists attended the event along with their art teachers, friends, and family members. Each student received a certificate for participating in this year’s YAM celebration. Attendees enjoyed refreshments while viewing over 100 pieces of artwork created by students from approximately twenty different Gloucester County schools. It was a wonderful celebration that showcased the artwork of our talented and proud students.

Mercer County YAM

2007-07-24T13:32:00.001-07:00

Once again The Hickory Corner Branch of Mercer County Library system cleared their walls and halls to make room for YAM. This is the third year the library has graciously hosted our young Mercer County artists. Artists from K-12 were invited show off their best pieces. This year we exhibited over 100 pieces from around the county.

Mayors from East Windsor, Ewing, Hamilton, Washington Township and West Windsor all proclaimed March as Youth Art Month in their municipalities. Artists, families and teachers were all showered with much praise and applause at our reception. Special thanks to all that participated!

Toms River YAM

2007-07-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday, March 2nd, Toms River art teachers installed over 519 pieces of artwork created by their students. There were 2 galleries of framed HS artwork, 9 panels of grade 6-8 artwork, 6 wooden display racks of K-5 artwork and 15 showcases of 3-D work by students of all ages. There were fish made from Styrofoam balls covered with model magic and painted. Harry Bower's manipulated books were awesome. Elementary paper mache sculptures were cool. One elementary teacher got huge grape leaves from the Renault Winery and students pressed clay on them to create and glaze bowls. Elisa Waller installed her display of painted shoes.

The Toms River Schools Youth Art Month Exhibit and Artists' Reception was on Monday March 5th from 5:30-7:00 PM. The exhibit was available for viewing through the end of March in the main branch of the Ocean County Library on Washington Street in downtown Toms River. At the reception, light refreshments were served and a string ensemble of All-State Orchestra students provided entertainment.

Warren County YAM

2007-07-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Art teachers in Warren County celebrate the achievements and talents of our students in our annual Youth Art Month Art Exhibit hosted by Warren County Arts, a collective of local artists who support the arts in the county. For our students’ art to be shared, we need an audience, and the environment at the Oxford Municipal Gallery, home for Warren County Arts, is intimate and welcoming and makes enjoying the exhibit easy and worth experiencing more than once.
Picking just a few pieces of art to exhibit is a complex and often poignant experience. We chose works which would evoke a response from the viewer, convey the students’ ideas and their love of making art, and which best illustrate our students’ growth as artists and communicators.
Nine Warren County elementary and middle schools participated in the show. Over two hundred works in many media by our exceptional and enthusiastic student artists were displayed for art lovers in our area in this month long exhibit. We love our new home.

Sussex County YAM Courthouse Exhibit, Newton, NJ

2007-04-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Sussex County YAM Courthouse Exhibit was a huge success. Over 30 teachers submitted 166 beautiful examples of students' drawings, paintings, collages and photographs. The exhibit ran from March 2 until April 4, 2007. Many positive comments were received from lawyers, clerks and the public who use the Courthouse on a daily basis. On April 4 from 5:30 pm - 7 pm, students and their families arrived in throngs to celebrate, view artwork, enjoy refreshments and receive certificates at the artists' reception. The line at the door stretched all the way across the parking lot! Many thanks to Shop-Rite of Newton for their generous donation towards our refreshments and to Linda Hirsch, Arts Coordinator for Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council who co-sponsors this exhibit along with AENJ.

BURLINGTON COUNTY YAM

2007-04-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

The Burlington County YAM was held at the Pemberton Campus of Burlington County College. Artwork was exhibited in a beautiful open space in one of the campus buildings with gorgeous natural light coming in. Each artwork was hung on the wall with a button. This button was a recreation of the artwork and each student was able to take theirs home with them! What a fantastic idea! The kids loved it and were proud of their buttons. Many of them put them on as soon as they got it.
Pat Carper-Brown started the YAM festivities by introducing the art teachers and other important people. The Burlington County Education Association President was there to hand out the certificates and pencils. I was happy to see such an important person there supporting the arts. Sherry Springsteen and Kathleen Cunningham, the Burlington County YAM co-chairs, were also present for the festivities. It was a wonderful day for all!

PASSAIC COUNTY YAM

2007-04-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

The Passaic County YAM exhibit was held at the Louis Bay Library in Hawthorne, NJ. The exhibit was well attended and the children had fun playing with their samples from Crayola at the tables. The artwork was amazing and really brightened up the exhibit space. Refreshments were provided and there was even dinner! Kathy Benevento received many donations and deals on the food. There was a table with cold cuts and sandwiches and another table with cookies and other yummy goodies.
Local artists from the community also stopped by the exhibit to lend their support and are looking forward to working with Passaic County students in future endeavors.
The exhibit was a great success thanks to Kathy Benevento & Orville Rose. Kathy mingled with the guests and gave a presentation on Youth Art Month as Orville gave out YAM awards to all of the student artists.

MORRIS COUNTY YAM

2007-04-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

What a lovely YAM exhibit! This was the first time that the Morris County YAM show was held at St. Clare's Medical Center in Dover, NJ. The space was amazing! Artwork was showcased on foam boards hanging from the ceilings, on easels, and on displays. In addition to the hospital foyer, the artwork was also exhibited down the main hallway in the windows. It was a spectacular and beautiful setup! I was also inspired by how close the Morris County teachers are- they are like a second family to each other. I also had the chance to meet Linda Pugliese, a former YAM chair who won the Clare Flanagan Award. This year AENJ created a NJ State YAM award in her honor, called the Linda Lora Pugliese YAM Award. She is honored and thrilled to present this award for the first time at our annual conference in October. For more details, go to http://www.aenj.org/LPYAMaward.pdf.
I congratulate Donna Schrader, Morris County YAM Chair, for doing such a fine job and for finding such a wonderful place to exhibit children's artwork in Morris County!

SOMERSET YAM, 6 - 12 grade exhibit

2007-03-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, March 25, 2006 we had the second artist's reception for the students in 6th through 12th grade. As you can see the walls were filled with artwork! Once again the Somerset Art Association was filled with proud artists! Family members and friends gathered to celebrate as well. Three pieces of artwork were selected from this exhibit to move on to the State Youth Art Month Exhibit held at the State House in Trenton, NJ the first week of March! Each of these artists received a certificate and student membership to the Somerset Art Association.

SOMERSET COUNTY YAM, K- 6 Exhibit

2007-03-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Johnson Gallery

The Somerset County Youth Art Month Exhibit is held at the Somerset Art Associaton (SAA) in Bedminister, NJ. Co-Chairs Deborah Huff & Liz Stutzman, both art teachers at Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School organized the two exhibits. Part I, March 4 - 14, 2007, highlights the talents of children in Kindergarten through 5th grade and Part II, march 18 - 31, 2007, highlights work created in 6th through 12th grade. Above you see photos from the first exhibit. Six pieces of artwork were selected from these two exhibits to go on to the State Youth Art Month Exhibit at the State House in Trenton. The award winners from Part I are, Nikhil Kapadia, Grade 5, Mount Propsect School (Art Teacher, Susan Bivona); Katherine Gallagher, Grade 1, Bradley Gardens School (Art Teacher, Lani Montgomery) and Rohit Rustagi, Grade 3, Triangle School (Art Teacher, Nancy Knutsen).

The exhibit has been here at SAA for the past 5 years and a BIG thank you goes out to Robyn Tromeur, Director of SAA and all the volunteers from SAA who helped hang this exhibit.

All the work can be viewed at our Artsonia, On-line Gallery @ www.artsonia.com/somerset1

BERGEN COUNTY YAM

2007-03-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

All I can say is WOW! I could not believe the numbers of people attending the Bergen County YAM show! The YAM exhibit was held at IKEA Paramus and hundreds of people were in attendance viewing the fabulous artwork created by the Bergen County students. It was so packed you could barely walk through the large exhibit space!
Student artists and families enjoyed the delicious refreshments, colored some famous artworks, posed for photographs, and talked to their art teachers. A camera crew from a local TV station, Channel 77, walked around and interviewed the artists by the artwork. Each art teacher stood by his or her school display board, greeted each family, and presented art certificates to the students. Paige DeFelice, the Bergen County YAM Chair even handed out beautiful corsages for each teacher!

It was definitely another successful YAM event in NJ! KUDOS!

MONMOUTH YAM

2007-03-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

The Monmouth County YAM Show was held at the Monmouth Museum in Lincroft, NJ. The exhibit was held in the Nilson Gallery and in the hallway. The wonderful part of this YAM exhibit is that students and families were invited to view the other galleries of the museum. Many families took advantage of this and spent time in the amazing photography exhibit. Thanks to Avis & Julia for providing this gallery space to the Monmouth County YAM staff and participating artists.

The exhibit was well attended and many county art teachers were in attendance to present awards to his or her students. The children were so excited to see their art teachers on the weekend! The Main Gallery was packed with proud families taking pictures of the student artists with their art teachers. The chairs- Aletha Keogh, Mychelle Kendrick, and Lonell Klina- put together a very nice show for the art students in Monmouth County!

MIDDLESEX COUNTY YAM

2007-03-19T18:05:00.002-07:00

The Middlesex YAM show took place at the Middlesex County College. The show was displayed in Edison Hall on the college campus with some artistic mannequins looking through classroom windows. It seemed as if those mannequins wished they could be out in the hallway enjoying the artwork!

The night was a great success as the County YAM Chair, Joanne Gianfrancesco, strolled around, talking to student artists and families, and passing out YAM Certificates. Art teachers, families, and student artists were happy to be there and had a great time viewing the amazing artwork, posing for pictures, and eating the yummy refresments (which by the way were placed next to some great proclamations signed by 2 mayors and 2 assemblymen!

HUNTERDON COUNTY YAM

2007-03-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful start to YAM in Hunterdon County. This was the first official YAM exhibit in this county and it could not have started off in a better way!

Artwork was exhibited at the Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington. Easels built by the Boy Scouts and tables were used to display the large variety of student artwork. On display was everything from multicolor prints, creative still life compositions, tessellations, canvas paintings, and much more.

A HUGE KUDOS goes to Ursula Accumanno & Jane Sutley for taking on this big accomplishment of creating the first official YAM exhibit in the county! For a first exhibit, many teachers participated and there was a large gallery of student artwork.

While viewing the show, I had the chance to meet many families and student artists. I met one of Jane Sutley's students who was just extraordinary and really inspired me. He was an 8th grader who attended the show with his sketchbook in hand and a ton of photos that he had taken. The photos were just breathtaking! Meeting this boy showed me even more how important YAM is and how much our art programs in NJ are creating these little artists! Try to go to some of these YAM shows or support local student shows in your county and also be inspired by these kids!

OCEAN COUNTY YAM

2007-03-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

The Ocean County YAM festivities were held at the Jackson Branch Library and was well attended. Artwork was hung beautifully on the walls and the kids were so excited.
Best of all, the Jackson High School art students were participating by painting the kids' faces! Flowers, butterflies, and basketballs were proudly exhibited on the cheeks of many little artists.
Holly Callahan & Karen Blenner were wonderful YAM chairs and even had the Jackson Township Mayor there proclaiming Youth Art Month and a US Senator presenting a YAM proclamation!

The students were called up to receive their awards and a special gift donated by Mike Pecci from Crayola. The students even received a cool tie-dye smock!
It was a wonderful day for all who attended!

UNION COUNTY YAM

2007-03-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

On February 28th, Union County started off our YAM activities at IKEA in Elizabeth. Over 90 pieces of art were displayed in IKEA's front balcony area from 28 schools in the county. Many student artists, their families, and art teachers participated in the event. The families entered the building and proceeded up the escalator to the balcony area. It was so wonderful hearing all the comments and compliments being made about the student artwork.
After viewing the artwork, everyone headed to the IKEA Restaurant for an awards ceremony. Josephine Hernandez, the Union County State Board of Education Representative, attended the festivities and was thrilled to be there. All of the student artists and their teachers came up our catwalk for awards and pictures. IKEA even gave each student artist who attended a free calculator!
Families enjoyed the event and even spent some time eating dinner at the restaurant and shopping in the store. Did I mention that they also loved the refreshments and free drinks provided by IKEA?
It was a wonderful night celebrating youth art and a great way to get YAM festivities rolling!

Youth Art Month 2007

2007-03-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

That time of the year is here again- YOUTH ART MONTH!

My name is Carrie Davey & I am the new AENJ Advocacy & State YAM Chairwoman. I am looking forward to a wonderful month filled with art exhibits & celebrations around the state.

Here is a listing of all the county YAM shows:
Atlantic & Cape May Counties
The Noyes Museum, OceanvilleMarch 1st- April 9th
RECEPTION: March 24th, 1-3pm
Bergen County
IKEA, Paramus
March 16th- April 18th
RECEPTION: March 22nd, 6 to 8pm

Burlington County
Burlington County College, Pemberton
March 17th- March 31stRECEPTION: March 31st, 12:30-1:30pm

Camden County
Echelon Mall, Voorhees
March 3rd- March 30th
RECEPTION: March 25th, 1-2:30pm
Cumberland & Salem Counties
Millville Library, Millville
March 10th- April 7th
RECEPTION: March 16th, 6-8pm

Essex County
Essex County Hall of Records, Newark
May 2007

Gloucester County
Rowan University, Education Hall- 1st Floor
March 24th- 30th
RECEPTION: March 29th, 5-7pm

Hudson County
The Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre, Jersey City
March 11th-19th
RECEPTION: March 14th, 5-7pm

Hunterdon County
Hunterdon Medical Center, Flemington
March 4th- 9th
RECEPTION: March 4th, 2-4pm

Mercer County
Hickory Corner Library, East Windsor
March 4th- April 11th
RECEPTION: March 4th, 2-4pm
Middlesex County
Middlesex County College, Edison Hall
March 5th- 9th
RECEPTION: March 5th, 6:30-8pm

Monmouth County
Monmouth Museum, Lincroft
February 26th- March 26th
RECEPTION: March 11th, 2-3:30pm
Morris County
St. Clare's Hospital, Dover
March 5th- 24th
RECEPTION: March 24th, 2-4pm
Ocean County
Jackson Branch of Ocean County Library System, Jackson
March 1st- 31st
RECEPTION: March 3rd, 2-4pm
Passaic County
Louis Bay Library, Hawthorne
March 5th- 30th
RECEPTION: March 28th, 6-8:30pm

Somerset County
Somerset Art Association
K-5 Exhibit: March 4th- 14th
K-5 RECEPTION: March 4th, 2-3:30pm
6-12 Exhibit: March 18th- 31st
6-12 RECEPTION: March 25th, 2-3:30pm

Sussex County
Sussex County Courthouse, Newton
March 2nd- April 4th
RECEPTION: April 4th, 5:30-7pm

Union County
IKEA, Elizabeth
February 28th- April 1st
RECEPTION: February 28th, 6:30-8pm
Warren County
Exhibit & Reception TBA