On March 30th, 2023 NIA hosted our first ever Follow Your Art Show! Students from 32 NIA sites participated in the exhibition. No limitations were given and students were able to pick their own themes and mediums, which gave them complete creative control. Many students mentioned that one of the reasons they love art is the ability to express yourself and add your own style to the work you create. One student even commented, “There is no wrong, no right, no one can tell you how to do it. It’s just you and what you want it to be and you can do anything with it.”

Leading up to the show, we spoke with the students of NIA/IS 104 about the creative process for their projects, which involved each student picking an adjective to explore visually. When asked what inspired their artwork, we got a range of responses. 6th graders Eliana Alrafati, Arianna Artiles-Ventura, and Ariana Bello-Acuay collaborated on their piece and wanted to do something exploring powerful, contrasting, natural elements by choosing to surround the word ‘create’ in flames and paint a background depicting the ocean. 8th grader, Skylar Lee, chose to keep her composition minimalistic and created her piece, “Celebrate,” with soft pastel colors. Most of the other students decided to collaborate on their project, each one generating ideas that the group put together to create one big piece.

Students were excited for the opportunity to explore their artistic talents and participate in a group show. One student mentioned that she loves to paint, but doesn’t usually have the chance to do so at home. Having this new project and being enrolled in NIA’s after-school program gave her the time and space where she could work on developing a creative skill that brings her joy!

Both elementary and middle school participants were delighted to be able to show off their amazing creations to their parents, peers, teachers, and NIA leadership. The first ever Follow Your Art Show was a huge success and we look forward to doing it again next year!