Kewaunee County to hold fourth annual Youth Art Month

ALGOMA – Kewaunee County’s annual Youth Art Month will kick off on Friday, March 7. Each year, March is designated Youth Art Month by the National Art Education Association (NAEA), when the creativity and talent of local youth is honored in schools and communities throughout the country. This March, ArtBeet Inc. will be collaborating with local artists, educators and venues to celebrate YAM25, Kewaunee County’s fourth annual month-long celebration of the young creators and artists in the community. Workshops and classes will be offered to youth and their families throughout the entire month.

Starting off the month on March 7, creative works of students from Algoma, Kewaunee and Luxemburg-Casco high schools will be on display for First Friday Art in various Algoma galleries and businesses. A list of participating locations and a map can be found on ArtBeet’s website, https://www.artbeet.org/. These works will be on display for the entire month of March. Guest artists Jill and James Iverson and Raina St. John will judge the creative works, and prizes will be awarded in addition to a scholarship for one student artist per school, which will be presented this spring.

ArtBeet Kewaunee is a grassroots non-profit arts organization which was founded in 2005 by Susan Connor, owner of the Flying Pig, which strives to foster creativity and coordinate projects that weave art into the everyday of Kewaunee County’s rural communities. One way they do so is with the ArtBeet scholarship, which is presented to one student selected from each of the three Kewaunee County high schools. To qualify, a student must be selected by their art teacher as hardworking and community-oriented, excel in their high school art program and exhibit work in the county-wide Youth Art Month Exhibit.

Judge Jill Iverson has been a practicing artist for over 50 years and works in many mediums including drawing, mosaic, printmaking, fiber arts, collage, assemblage and painting. She has a BFA in both Fine Arts (with a focus on drawing) and Liberal Arts. Jill is cofounder of the Lakeshore Artist Guild of Manitowoc, alongside her husband James. She continues to practice art in retirement by sketching for 15 minutes each day.

Judge James Iverson studied filmmaking at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He worked as a professional designer of leather accessories for many upscale brands and later opened his own leather goods business. James also worked as a professional photographer in New Jersey, Key West and Milwaukee. In retirement, he has returned to analog photography in his home studio and darkroom.

Jill and James Iverson recently published a book titled “Exploring America’s Great Loop - Artfully Cruising the Rivers and Canals of North America,” which features some of Jill’s drawings and writing.

Judge Raina St. John is an emerging artist who enjoys experimenting with many different types of media. She participated in YAM in years past as a student displaying her own work, and is excited to return this year as a judge. St. John said creativity allows her to view the world through different lenses.
“I believe every piece of art has a purpose and I am excited to see what the students have created,” she said.

On Saturday, March 29, the Wildflower Supper Club will host the annual Art Beat Open Mic for students ages 8-18. Hosted by ArtBeet and the Wildflower Supper Club, this event welcomes musicians, vocalists, spoken word poets and other creative performers to share their work.

Galleries and artists across the county will be offering workshops such as a monotype printmaking workshop at Yonder Art Gallery, a small unicorn lidded jar clay project at Clay on Steele, a parent and child painting class hosted by Zara Studio & Co. at Vintage Brick, a book event with Laura Anne Bird at Yardstick Books and a mosaic workshop at Art Box Studio & Gallery.

Registration is required for each of the workshops. Please visit ArtBeet’s website to sign up for the workshops and classes. Spots are limited and are on a first come/first serve basis.

For more information, visit ArtBeet’s website at https://www.artbeet.org/.