Youth Art Month
Youth Art Month (YAM) Overview
2026 YAM Flag Winner
FAEA is proud to unveil the 2026 Youth Art Month (YAM) Flag! Congratulations to 9th-grade student Brooke Furland from Polk County for winning the 2026 FAEA YAM Flag Design Competition! Brooke's artwork, The World Needs More Art, was selected by FAEA members as the design for Florida's 2026 YAM Flag. This flag will represent the state of Florida and be displayed among other state winners at the Youth Art Month Museum during the National Art Education Association (NAEA) Convention in Chicago, IL, on March 5-7.
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this year's YAM Flag Design Competition!
2026 YAM Flag
Brooke Furland
The World Needs More Art
painting
Polk County
Youth Art Month is for you!
The Florida Art Education Association invites all art educators to participate in YAM activities! Celebrations can be as simple as a single class learning activity that focuses attention on the value of arts; or celebrations can involve collaborations that result in multi-school art exhibits. You can start with one thing that you already are doing successfully and design a way to share the value gained by your students- with parents, with school administrators, with the community, and/or with politicians.
Youth Art Month is celebrated during the month of March, but art successes from any time of the year deserve recognition. Please send a picture, description, and/or media article about advocacy events to info@faea.org, and it will be included in Florida's YAM national report. Label your email with the title 'YAM Event' and send it in anytime.
2026 YAM Flag Contest Lesson Plan & Presentation
YAM Issuing and Using a Proclamation
YAM Sample Proclamation Request Letter
YAM Sample Proclamation Language
YAM Sample Certificate of Recognition
YAM How to Submit a Press Release
What is Youth Art Month?
A national arts advocacy program, Youth Art Month was initiated in 1961 by the ACMI (Art and Craft Materials Institute.) The CAE, (Council for Art Education, Inc.) administers the program along with the sponsorship of NAEA.
The goals of Youth Art Month are:
- To recognize art education as a viable factor in the total education curricula that develops citizens of a global society.
- To recognize art is a necessity for the full development of better quality of life for all.
- To direct attention to the value of art education for divergent and critical thinking.
- To expand art programs in schools and stimulate new art programs.
- To encourage commitment to the arts by students, community organizations, and individuals everywhere.
- To provide additional opportunities for individuals of all ages to participate in creative art learning.
- To increase community, business, and governmental support for art education.
- To increase community understanding and interest in art and art education through involvement in art exhibits, workshops, and other creative ventures.
- To reflect and demonstrate the goals of the National Art Education Association that work toward the improvement of art education at all levels.
