About the youth in art initiative
How It Started; How It's Going
Art has been my passion since I was a child--my mom has boxes full of
terrible kindergarten dogs and families scrawled over sheets of notebook paper. When I began to get serious about my craft, I realized this was something I wanted to do forever--not just to have fun, but as my lifelong career.
I ​told plenty of people I wanted to go into art; after all, I knew it was the direction of the rest of my life as early as middle school. The question
was always some variation of concern: "where's the money in that?" or "oh, you can't be serious?" or even "really, a starving artist?"
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Years of hard work later, I've been featured in 18+ exhibitions and publications, including having my work featured in the US Capitol and as far as Atlanta and Minneapolis. The journey here hasn't been easy, though; I began to wonder how many artists like me had given up halfway through their journey because of discouraging comments and a difficult rise to the top. When my junior year of high school in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program came, I knew what I had to do for my IB CAS (creativity, action, and service) project--start a youth arts group and help others like me.
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Though the Youth in Art Initiative is still young, its history is being written as we speak. Our first exhibition is coming up quick, with submissions closing October 15 and the reception and exhibition being held November 12. I'm working hard to ensure the event will be one for the books, complete with great art, tasty food, and an overwhelming sense of community in the charming small town of Selma, NC. I've already begun to think about new exhibitions planned for 2023. This is just the beginning of the Youth in Art Initiative's rich and beautiful story, helping young artists worldwide!