A crowd of children and adults in a carpeted room. The children in the foreground are gathered at a craft table with colorful paper. The adults in the background are facing away from the camera, looking at squares of art on the far wall.
Posted on by fwmuseumofart

Young Artists Exhibit

Miranda Dyson, Children’s Education Associate

A crowd of children and adults in a carpeted room. The children in the foreground are gathered at a craft table with colorful paper. The adults in the background are facing away from the camera, looking at squares of art on the far wall.
The opening of the first annual Young Artists Exhibit at FWMoA, 2026. Image courtesy of FWMoA

This spring at the FWMoA, 31 students from Allen County were recognized for their artwork in our first annual Young Artists Exhibit, displayed in the John S. and James L. Knight Learning Center. These 5-7th graders were prompted to take inspiration from artist, Kirsty Mitchell, and create a 2D scene focused on nature, storyline, and bold use of colors.

Mitchell’s work, currently on display at the FWMoA through April 26th, showcases the whimsical works she designed, constructed, and photographed. Some pieces represent her first collection of images, Wonderland, as well as her more recent collection, Quiescence. With this display of whimsical photos in mind, students presented their imaginative tales on an eight-by-eight inch page.

Two girls with light brown/blond hair smiling towards the camera. The wall behind them is covered with rows of drawings and paintings in squares.
A young girl in a blue dress, with brown, straight hair, flowers in front of a wall of artwork.

Celebrating and encouraging creativity from young artists is a central goal at the FWMoA. Inspiration is circular, as new creatives look up to experienced artists who, in turn, engage with students’ fresh approaches. Our 2nd Thursday evening event highlighted these students, and was buzzing with activity as family members, teachers, and friends came to support the students who were recognized in the display. After pictures were taken and certificates were received, several visitors spent time at the nature-themed craft table, run by the Education Department’s Teen Council and Education Interns.

A corner of a room with colorful pictures on the walls, a small round table, illuminated light blue, and a wall of fabrics woven on a wooden rungs.
A wall with a huge white square. In the center of the picture is a round table with wooden stools surrounding. Colorful frames are hung holding various drawings.
Two long, wooden tables with wooden stools tucked beneath and four works of art above.

The Learning Center is a permanent room in the museum that welcomes all visitors into a hands-on environment. With a light table, whiteboard wall, building blocks, and space to display drawings, this room gives an outlet to the inspiration found while touring the main galleries. This space also rotates as a themed gallery, with artwork on display from our permanent collection. To complement the works from the Young Artists Exhibit, there are whimsical works influenced by nature on display alongside YAE.

A room with blue, geometric stools and bright, colorful shapes on the floor. The wall we're facing has, "Young Artists Exhibit 2026", written in large, black letters. In the center of the wall are thirty-one square papers with colorful drawings on them. On the right side of the wall is the word, "Build", in bold, capital lettering.

We are so proud of the students who were able to participate and grateful for the teachers who submitted work for this exhibition! We are already looking forward to seeing the works on display next year!

Special thanks to:

Blackhawk Christian School
Bloomingdale Elementary
Canterbury School
Emmanuel Christian School
Growing Roots Microschool
St. Paul’s Lutheran School
The Homeschool Resource Center
Queen of Angels Catholic School

To see the Young Artists Exhibit, visit the Learning Center at the FWMoA by May 18!

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