Take A Journey Through Art - A reflection

Take A Journey through Art 

Utah Youth Art Month Flag for 2020
Designed by Callie Sweeten, a senior
at Timpanogos High School

"Take a Journey through Art"  was our YAM theme for 2020.  We held a flag contest and chose our winners.  This beautiful flag invites you to come to Utah... to share your journey through art.

I went to the UAEA conference and put up this beautiful flag for everyone to enjoy.

Then I taped a large piece of butcher paper up on the wall.
I got out a box of tempera color sticks donated by Sargent Art and I invited teachers to create a mural of our collective journey.

"What is your journey through art?  Can you express it on our mural?"

I did my own quick little sketch in the corner, but I didn't allow myself to engage emotionally.  That is a safe thing right?

As I watched the teachers come by and I started talking to them I started to get a glimpse of the journey of each of them.  My journey. Our journey.



As teachers drew on our mural, they shared their stories with me.  Themes started to emerge.   "Art saves lives, art is life, art allows me to have a voice, art holds me up, art brings people together,  the earth without eh is ART."  Teachers drew pictures of their first art teacher, flowers, sunshine, teaching methods, stories, glimpses of their lives.  They illustrated quotes and inspirational sayings.  I got emotionally involved.  I carefully took down the mural and moved it to the main hall of the conference.  Then again, I took it down and put it up at the high school where I teach.

I asked my students to look at the mural and share their own journey in their sketchbooks.  I thought back to my own personal journey through art.

Two weeks later our schools were closed.  Do you know what I learned over the coming months?  I learned that art really DOES save lives.  I came to school and I would see the mural.  I started taking close up photos of the different sections.  It inspired me and it helped me.  It helped my students and it helped those around me.

I have realized that art really does connect us.  It isn't about our differences and our politics.  It is about being there for each other and finding the creative process within ourselves, feeling safe, and feeling accepted.

My amazing friend and colleague Heather.  The art above the
mural was created by her elementary art students in the
Duchesne County School district.

Share your Journey.  Share your story.  It makes a difference. It makes a difference to you and to those around you.

New YAM theme for 2021

The new Utah Youth Art Month (YAM) theme for 2021 will be:    "Art Connects Us."


As a heads up for interested teachers,  we usually complete the YAM flag contest on December 15th but I am going to try to move everything up to the end of October this year.   I have been talking to a lot of teachers and it seems like it might be easier to promote the contest before it starts competing with the holidays and end of the semester grading. It should make judging easier for us.   If you get this note or check out my blog, start thinking about how you can participate in the flag contest this year.  The theme is pretty appropriate for what is going on in the world right now and we are excited to see some of the great flag entries for Utah!