​MAEA Youth Art Month will be virtual for 2021

For almost 30 years, the Portland Museum of Art and the Maine Art Education Association (MAEA) have collaborated to bring National Youth Art Month to Maine. We are happy to announce that this tradition continues. This year marks the first time that Youth Art Month at the PMA will be digital. 

This annual exhibition emphasizes the value of art education and encourages support for quality school art programs through a month-long exhibition of artwork by K-12 students throughout the state. The exhibition will begin digitally on March 1, 2021 on the PMA’s website.  

This year, registration will be open longer and without the hassle of framing or dropping off artwork. 

Registration will be open from 9 a.m. Wednesday, January 20, 2021 through 5 p.m. Wednesday, February 24, 2021.   To submit student work, you must be a current member of MAEA. Check your membership status, email membership chair Hope Lord before completing the online registration. You may submit one artwork per teacher per school.

Artwork created by multiple students or work with multiple teachers is not permitted. Artwork must be photographed properly (see our Guidelines for Photographing Artwork) and will only be accepted if proper protocol is followed. Because it is a virtual exhibition, we hope that teachers submit a wide array of media. 2D, 3D, animation, short film and video are all able to be submitted. We also will be accepting artist statements.

Registration Link

All artists and their families are invited to the Youth Art Month digital celebration on Saturday, March 13th:
   * K-4th grade at 3:30pm;
   * 5th-8th grade at 4:30pm;
   * 9th-12th grade 5:30pm. 
More information coming soon.  

If you need to make special arrangements, email Meghan Quigley Graham.
For all other questions, please contact the MAEA Youth Art Month chair, Elise Pelletier.

Elise Pelletier (Scarborough High School), is our state-wide coordinator and is eager to hear about your local/regional plans to celebrate quality arts education programs in your schools.


MAEA & MEA Youth Art Month at the MEA Building, Augusta

The Maine Education Association Youth Art Month Celebration

​Questions can be addressed to Suzanne Goulet.

Teachers who are both MEA (Maine Education Association) and MAEA (Maine Art Education Association) members may submit one piece of student artwork to celebrate Youth Art Month.  The artwork will be framed by the MEA and will hang in the Maine Education Association office in Augusta.  Many teachers, MEA employees, and other visitors who go to the MEA office really enjoy viewing the student artwork. Families enjoy the art opening reception and appreciate the beautifully framed artwork. This is a great way to showcase what we do.
  • MEA will accept 30 works of student art on a first-come basis.
  • Size limit: length + width cannot exceed 30 inches.
  • Contact Lisa if you are interested in submitting work.
  • Lisa will confirm your current MAEA and MEA membership status.  Once you are notified, please mail your student artwork ASAP.
  • Lisa will coordinate the collection of work.
  • If you sign up, she will be saving your spot.  December cancellations do not allow enough time to find a replacement.
  • The show will hang from February through November in the Maine Education Association Office in Augusta.
  • Only submit work that can hang for the entire length of the exhibit.
  • You will need to pick up the artwork in the Augusta office by the first week in December annually and return the framed work to the student.
  • Lisa will send invitations out to participating teachers to pass on to their students in January.