The reception for the much-anticipated Youth Art show will take at Palo Alto Art Center on Wednesday, May 16, from 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm.

The Palo Alto Art Center is hosting the Youth Art show from May 13 through June 3.

The show will feature art from students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in the Palo Alto Unified School District. The show is an annual exhibit that displays and encourages the creative spirit of young aspiring artists, according to Paly art teacher David Camner.

Art teachers from around the district will chose pieces from each of their classes, compiling a selection that will reflect the young creative potentials of the elementary, middle, and high school students that Palo Alto harbors.

From Paly, art teachers Anna Eng and Camner select their best and brightest to display their artwork this month. “Paly will mostly be contributing ceramics to the show, but you’re going to see a pretty wide variety [of art],” Camner said.

The department estimates that it will send 30 students pieces to the exhibit, according to Camner.

Paly students will also be present during the show to represent their work at the reception.

Paly’s own Jonathan Harrison, a sophomore, will be contributing three pieces. He is currently enrolled in the Ceramics and Sculpture course at Paly. Harrison’s pieces consist of one glass casting piece, one ceramic piece, and one that combines the two arts.

It’s Harrison’s first time in the show, and he is looking forward to it.

“It’s one thing to make the pieces in class and show it to your family,” Harrison said. “But it’s quite another to present it to the public.”

According to Camner, the show has multiple purposes. Not only will it serve as a medium to presenting children’s work to the public, but it also gives students a chance to gain confidence as artists.

Senior Dayee Leung is taking glassblowing at Paly, and her work will be shown in the next few weeks at the Center. Leung will contribute a few of her glass casting pieces for the second year in a row.

“I was in the show last year and it was a learning experience,” Leung said. “It was the first time I had really displayed my work to the public.”

The Youth Art show will be going on simultaneously with the Cultural Kaleidoscope, another display that the Art Center is hosting.

Linda Craighead, Executive Director of the Palo Alto Art Center, is involved in both projects.

“[The show] is a reflection of the classroom teacher’s dedication and commitment to the essential value of art for young students in the face of demanding curriculum requirements,” Craighead said in a press release on April 19.

Many students see this as an opportunity to expand their horizons past the conventional learning that takes place in the classroom, according to Camner.

Those who are selected are done so with care; the work will effectively represent Paly’s art department.

But this year’s show is different from the past ones, according to Art Coordinator for the district, Sharon Ferguson.

“The teachers chose the work this year,” Ferguson said. “It used to be the teachers would simply bring the work to the Center to be chosen, but this year they were more involved with the art. It’s a great thing to see.”

This is not the only change to the show this year. Ferguson says she expects a larger audience than in past years.

“We are primarily catering to the students, staff, and teachers of PAUSD, but because of the venue, it is open to the community as well. We want as many people as possible,” Ferguson said.

But under all the layers, the real core of the presentation is clear in the enthusiasm of the students.

“I’m just really excited to finally be able to truly present my work,” Harrison said. “I’ll definitely be at the reception to represent it and hopefully receive an award.”

The official reception will take place at the Palo Alto Art Center. There will be a special awards presentation recognizing the outstanding artists at 6:30pm.