The “Art.Write.Now.Tour” showcases creations from some of the nation’s best teen writers and artists as it travels to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) Nov. 1, 2016 through Jan. 8, 2017. The exhibition is produced by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit organization that presents the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Featured in the tour are essays and short stories from three Houston writers who qualified for national acclaim through Harris County Department of Education’s Scholastic Art & Writing Regional Awards. Through the tour, Gold Medal works are showcased from the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Exhibition from teens in grades 7-12.
The MFAH Kinder Foundation Education Center Gallery where the traveling exhibition will reside is located at 1001 Bissonet. Houston is the second of four stops for the “Art.Write.Now.Tour” which features more than 50 art pieces this year and multiple prose.
The three local teen writers included in the showcase come from Deer Park and Houston:
• Peyton Vasquez, 13, of Bonnette Junior High School in Deer Park Independent School District, wrote a personal essay called “The Floppy Arm,” a situation backlash from his cancer treatments: http://www.artandwriting.org/media/294881/. Vasquez also won a revered The RBC “Flaunt It” Award.
• Amy Dong, 17, from St. John’s School, crafted a critical essay: “Hoping for Disaster”: http://www.artandwriting.org/media/250213/.
• The Village School’s Melanie Menkiti, 14, is introduced in the show with her short story called “The War”: http://www.artandwriting.org/media/295203/.
“We are proud that Houston gains the opportunity to display the amazing work of these visionary teens through this traveling exhibition,” said Andrea Segraves, coordinator for the regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and director of the Teaching and Learning Center at Harris County Department of Education. “We are exceptionally proud of these writers who are representing Houston in this national art and writing tour.”
The show arrived in Houston from Grand Rapids, Michigan and visits Bozeman, Montana and Jackson, Mississippi later this year. For information about MFAH hours and admission fees, visit: https://www.mfah.org/visit/hours-and-admissions/.
In its seventh year, the Art.Write.Now.Tour was curated this year by Johanna Burton, Keith Haring Director and Curator of Education and Public Engagement at the New Museum in New York City. The exhibition is renowned for showcasing exemplary work from teens across the country. Now in its 94th year, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards reported a record-breaking 320,000 works submitted at the regional level for judging in 2016. Noted alumni include Sylvia Plath, Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Joyce Carol Oates, Ken Burns and Zac Posen.
Regional art and writing entries are currently being accepted for the 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, sponsored by Harris County Department of Education. The deadline is Dec. 15, 2016. For more information, go to www.hcde-texas.org/Scholastic.
About Harris County Department of Education (HCDE): Serving students, teachers, schools and communities throughout Harris County, HCDE is a local governmental organization providing value for school districts while supporting educational opportunity. Partnering with Harris County school districts, HCDE maximizes local resources and responds to the needs of locally elected school boards and education leaders. HCDE services include school-based therapy for students, afterschool programs, Head Start, educator training, adult education and programs to promote safe schools. To learn more about how your county department of education can help you: www.hcde-texas.org.