Evanston Art Center’s annual teen exhibition is back.
Showing through April 22, the exhibit aims to highlight young artists, said Youth Fine Arts Coordinator & Marketing Manager Catie Bryant.
This themed teen exhibition has been hosted each year since its 2019 inception, said President and CEO Paula Danoff (Kellogg ’82).
The board offers multiple opportunities to create art and work with the students in the youth board, who are under 16 years old. They host their quarterly exhibitions and plan and set up their own teen exhibitions.
“We want them to take the initiative, that’s what it’s all about,” Danoff said. “They’re not going to learn unless they figure it out themselves.”
Each year, the board picks an exhibition theme they’re passionate about. Last year’s theme focused on mental health and the importance of self-love, encouraging discussions around these two topics.
This year, the board named their exhibition “Stronger Together” to promote peace, unity and resistance, Bryant said.
“This theme was especially important for our teen board this year, given the state of the world,” Bryant said. “It’s important for them and young artists everywhere to have that opportunity.”
The board initially looked for work by local teen artists that explores topics that build and strengthen community, but it didn’t receive any outside submissions.
Instead, the exhibit now showcases three artworks by members of the teen board. One of them is Evanston Township High School student Frances Wade. She showcased her watercolor titled “Reconstruction” and her watercolor with pencil artwork titled “Interconnection.”
“I did this at my grandmother’s house a few years ago,” Wade said, referencing her watercolor piece. “I would go after school, and we would do art and painting together.”
Wade said “Reconstruction” reminds her of how much fun she and her grandmother had together. The piece depicts the sun and a few clouds in the sky, all made from squares following the mosaic watercolor style.
Wade said she has done arts and crafts since a young age, and would like to continue working in the arts.
She said she looked for inspiration in her previous artworks, searching for specific features that reflected the theme of the exhibition.
“I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to share my work and what it means to me,” Wade said. “It’s great for the artist community, especially teenagers, because it’s hard to get your work out there in real settings.”
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