On Saturday evening, March 7, parents, students and their art teachers will come together to celebrate the visual art accomplishments of 112 young artists. Punch and snacks both sweet and savory will welcome the group, but, it will be the delectable student artwork on exhibit that will “wow” the crowd.

Student artists will be honored in a visual slide show of their displayed works as well as certificates and pins which will be presented in the museum’s auditorium.

This year two students from the Boothbay schools are exhibited in the annual Youth Art Month show at the Portland Museum of Art: Zoe Eason, grade five who attends Boothbay Region Elementary School, and Summer Chamberlain a ninth grader attending Boothbay Region High School.

The annual Maine Youth Art Month exhibition, in its 21st year at the Portland Museum of Art, provides students and teachers from across our state an opportunity to display creative work from the classroom in a highly public and prestigious space. In the vernacular of education these days, this would be termed an “authentic” presentation of an “authentic” task or assessment.

Art education helps to develop creative problem solving and critical thinking abilities. Involvement and participation in the visual arts encourages sensitivity to beauty and order, fosters flexible thinking as well as providing a healthy and powerful venue to express ideas and feelings. Education in the visual arts additionally gives students a path to a deeper understanding of multicultural values and beliefs.

The Youth Art Month student exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art runs from Feb. 28 through March 29. Don’t forget that Friday evenings at the museum (from 5 to 9 p.m.) are free!

The Portland Museum of Art is located at 7 Congress Street in Portland.