For immediate release
Contact: Julie Westendorff
jwestendorff@alleganyarts.org
301-777-2787
AAC Announces Expansion to Youth Art Show, The Imagination Generation
CUMBERLAND, MD—The Allegany Arts Council is pleased to announce the expansion of its long-standing student art showcase, The Imagination Generation, which will take place March 2-23, 2024, in the Saville Gallery located at 9 N. Centre Street in downtown Cumberland. The theme for this year’s show is “Magical, Mythical Creatures.”
For many years the Arts Council partnered with Allegany County Public Schools to develop an annual student art exhibit, works of which were selected by local arts educators. With feedback received from community residents and non-public school participants, the Council elected to develop new goals for the exhibition, including the creation of an inclusive experience for all youth, ages 2-18, regardless of skill level, selection or school placement. The show also recognizes some students may not thrive in a structured academic setting but enjoy creative expression and the joy of art simply for the sake of it. Finally, the goal of this expanded project, and series of accompanying workshops, is to reach students in all corners of Allegany County, ensuring any child who wants to be included has the opportunity.
Says Julie Westendorff, executive director of the Council, “We recognize the incredible importance of arts education in our schools and actively advocate for it, but through the years we believed there were students who were missing the opportunity to be involved because others with more skill were selected, or because they did not fit into a traditional classroom setting. Our goal for this show is to uplift the ideals most important in our mission – to celebrate that all people have the ability to create.”
To help facilitate involvement, the Arts Council, in partnership with the Allegany County Library System, will host a series of art-making workshops to begin in January. Supplies will be provided to any youth artist interested in creating an artwork during the workshop, and Council staff will be onsite to accept works which are dropped off during workshop timeframes, returning them at the conclusion of the exhibition. All workshops take place from 4:00PM-5:30PM and are free, although registration is requested.
The workshop schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, January 9 - South Cumberland Library
Tuesday, January 16 - Washington Street Library
Tuesday, January 23 - George's Creek Library
Tuesday, January 30 - Frostburg Library
Tuesday, February 6 - LaVale Library
Tuesday, February 13 – Westernport Library
To register, please contact the Allegany Arts Council at 301.777.2787 or at art@alleganyarts.org with the child’s name, library location, and age of child.
A Public Opening featuring works included in this year’s exhibition will take place Saturday, March 2, 2024, from 3:00PM-5:00PM. All are invited.
###
