Contact:
Mike Barrett, mbarrett@scholastic.com, 212-343-6570
Josephine Djonovic, jdjonovic@scholastic.com, 212-343-6876

NEW YORK – September 15, 2017 – The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition initiative for creative teens, kicks off a year of exhibitions through the annual Art.Write.Now program. In partnership with U.S. Department of Education, the year-long exhibition, Art.Write.Now.DC, is now open and the traveling Art.Write.Now.Tour begins in October.  Curated, produced, and presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit which administers the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, each exhibition showcases a selection of inspiring and innovative original work by teens from across the country who received national honors in 2017.To learn more, visit artandwriting.org/art-write-now.

EXHIBITION LOCATIONS & DATES

• Art.Write.Now.DC 2017–18:
  • Washington, D.C., U.S. Department of Education, September 15, 2017– July 31, 2018

• Art.Write.Now.Tour 2017–18:
  • Tulsa, OK, Center for Creativity, Tulsa Community College, October 2–October 28, 2017
  • Lexington, KY, The Living Arts & Science Center, November 10, 2017–December 26, 2017
  • Elmira, NY, The Arnot Art Museum, January 12–February 24, 2018
  • Youngstown, OH, The Butler Institute of American Art, April 1–June 3, 2018

“By bringing the remarkable works of teens from across the country into local communities for the past eight years, Art.Write.Now has become celebrated as the most modern and relevant expression of creative work by today’s young artists,” said Virginia McEnerney, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. “The works on display give a glimpse into the complex lives of teenagers—their daily struggles, personal obstacles, and community insights. Sharing and celebrating the creative work of teens is the cornerstone of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program, and we couldn’t be more excited to showcase these works on our nationwide tour and in DC with our wonderful partners at the U.S. Department of Education.”

Art.Write.Now.DC 2017–18 will also showcase the impressive efforts of the Harris County Department of Education in Texas to enrich its local community with the arts and to encourage students to be part of the Scholastic Awards’ legacy. This exhibition will highlight the creative work of students in grades 7–12 from the Harris County Art & Writing region who received Gold Keys in the 2017 Scholastic Awards.

Art.Write.Now.Tour 2017–18 has been made possible, in part, by the generous support of Scholastic Inc., the National Endowment for the Arts, and Blick Art Materials. The Tour will feature approximately 50 visual art works selected from the Art.Write.Now.2017 National Exhibition which took place in New York City at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons School of Design at The New School and the Pratt Institute’s Pratt Manhattan Gallery this past June. The Best Teen Writing of 2017, an annual anthology of selected National Medal writing, will be displayed at the exhibitions on iPads.

To learn how to submit to the 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, visit www.artandwriting.org.

ABOUT THE SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS:

For 95 years, the Scholastic Awards, presented by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, have identified the early promise of some of our nation’s most accomplished visionaries and encouraged young artists and writers to pursue a variety of creative career paths and endeavors. In the 2017 program year, a record-breaking 330,000 works were submitted for adjudication at the regional level, with more than 2,500 public, private, and home schooled students receiving national recognition. Each year, opportunities for exhibition, publication, and scholarships are made available to students honored through the program for their creative work in 29 categories of art and writing, with opportunities expanding each year. To learn more, visit artandwriting.org.

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