1+1=1 Gallery > News > Annual Young Voices Information for Parents

Annual Young Voices Information for Parents

Brennan Gesture painting

2022 Young Voices Student Art Exhibit Q & A — and Other Info

Families who have had art students in the Young Voices Exhibit in the past are familiar with how the student art show works. However, there are a few changes this year, so this Q&A list is for everyone, parents of my new students and parents of students who have been taking art classes at 1+1=1 for years.

If your question isn’t answered here, I welcome a phone call or in person visit. I want you to have all the information you need.

Questions and Answers for Parents and Students:

Q: My child can’t attend 3 preparation sessions after school before the exhibit. Can he/she still participate in the show? 

A: Sorry, no. With 25 students this year, Tim and I don’t have the energy to do it all for them. My students learn many life skills through the process of the art classes and art exhibit. A couple of those are showing up, following through and appreciating the work that goes into organizing and holding an event such as an art exhibit. Thank you for figuring out how to get your kids down to the classroom a few times for these FREE prep sessions. We know how busy all families are nowadays! 

Q: My child is really worried about having to give a talk and being recorded. Can they just skip that part? 

A: If your child really really does not want to do a talk, please let me know and we will absolutely skip that for them. However, I’ve worked with art students for the last 7 years encouraging them to write short talks in spite of their fears. They will be recorded giving their talk to just me (and a parent and sibling if they choose) so it is aLOT less intimidating than speaking in front of a group or a crowd. They are allowed to read their talks, so they don’t have to memorize them. The recording is very forgiving, as well. We do retakes. Young artists will have time to practice their talks with their art class peers, and I encourage families to listen to them practice at home. Even the most recalcitrant kiddos end up being proud of their recorded talks. 

Q: How do you price the artworks?  

A: Each project by the students is priced all the same. So, for example, the 3d paintings will all be the same price, no matter how old the child is, or how large or small the 3d painting is. I discuss the prices with the kids during the prep sessions, but ultimately I am the one who sets prices. We rarely have anything over $60. Most artworks sell for between $25 and $45. What a deal! 

Q: Who pays for the frames and the wood panels the artwork gets mounted on?  

A: That comes out of our personal pockets. Although we use the most inexpensive frames we can find, we do have to purchase them. Tim builds the cradled wood panels in his furniture shop. Materials are expensive these days, so mounting the exhibit is a huge expense, and this year will cost us even more. Plus, since we donate a large percentage of total sales to local nonprofits, everything about this exhibit costs us personally. We love it when community members offer to help pay for materials, frames, and other materials as a gesture of thanks to our efforts. If you would like to contribute it would be greatly appreciated. 

Q:Why would I want to buy my child’s art when I paid tuition for the art classes? 

A: The month-long Young Voices exhibit raises money for deserving local organizations and is a big part of what we do at the 1+1=1 Classroom. We try to keep the art series tuition reasonable as well as offering scholarships to students in need. By purchasing your own child’s artworks (and maybe even those of other kids) you are helping those organizations, boosting your child’s confidence (and their peers’) and  helping us continue our mission to make art education accessible to everyone, no matter what their family’s financial means. Please don’t feel obligated to purchase your child’s art, though. We have many regular customers of 1+1=1 Gallery who look forward to finding little affordable art treasures for themselves. It all works out. 

Q: Why doesn’t my child bring their artwork home with them each week? 

Any of the art projects we make during the fall or winter classes could potentially be part of the spring Young Voices show. With 25 students participating, we don’t have room to display every piece your child makes in the exhibit, so most of their artwork will come home with them eventually. However, I keep their work at the gallery until we have all had a chance to experience the “curating” process – that is, deciding which pieces are their best, and which pieces should be part of the exhibit. 

Curation is a delicate, yet very powerful process for these kids. In curating the show, we all (including me) learn about constructive feedback, diplomacy, making decisions, focusing on positive experiences – giving energy to trying our best, rather than to the outcome. 

Q: Can I have first dibs on my child’s artwork? 

A: Yes! (though you may have to wrestle me for the pieces I have my eye on, LOL) We will have a family afternoon/evening on Friday March 18, so you can come choose the pieces you want to put red dots on (red dots mean sold.) 

Q: May my child have a piece in the show that is not for sale? 

A: I wish! We just don’t have room for all the pieces I would like to include in the show. Some kids get very attached to their artwork and don’t want to sell it. I understand that and will send it home with them in that case. Everything in the show must be for sale. 

Q: What if we have a personal issue with one or more of the organizations on the list of possibilities for donations? 

A: I do not include faith-based, church or political-party-affiliated organizations on the list. If there are other organizations you don’t want your child to donate to, I will honor that. Please let me know before March 7th ( when we will begin the process of researching and choosing the organizations) so I can make sure not to have those organizations on the list of potentials for kids to research.

Q: What if my child can’t attend the opening day? 

A: Bummer! It’s such an amazing experience for these kids that I strongly encourage parents to make arrangements for their kids to attend. The kids are the stars of the show, and they usually love participating in their very own gallery event. But, if they cannot attend, we understand and they can still be part of the show.

SCROLL TO SEE PICS FROM THIS YEAR’S CLASSES AND PREVIOUS YOUNG VOICES EXHIBITS:

Some More Info about the Young Voices exhibit

2022 is our 7th annual Young Voices exhibit

Since we began showing student art in a real gallery exhibit each year, the numbers have grown. Our first year we had 6 students. This year, there are 25 students ranging in age from 6 to 12 eligible to be part of the exhibit. 

The show is a fundraiser for local organizations of the kids’ choosing

Every work of art in the exhibit is for sale. Maureen helps the student artists set reasonable prices and they for sure get excited about the prospect of earning money selling their own art! We almost always sell out the exhibit — and it’s not just family and friends buying the art — our regular gallery customers look forward to this show all year and love to purchase absolutely fabulous and very affordable works of art. 

How do we choose the nonprofits to donate to?

As part of the preparation for this exhibit, students research a list of local non-profits and pick their top two favoritesThen they all meet to advocate — to each other — for their choices. After discussion and some fun lobbying, we use a consensus process to settle on two or three organizations that everyone feels good about donating to. They are working hard to raise these funds, so we want them all to feel heard, and have ownership in the outcome.

Organizations we have donated to with past Young Voices include: Friendship Center, Montana Wild, Food Share, The Angel Fund, Grand Street Theater, Mountain Bluebird Montessori, Green Arts Montessori, God’s Love, L&C Humane Society, Montana Human Rights Network, Holter Museum’s Art for Survival Program and the Helena YWCA.

Preparing for Young Voices teaches art students lots of specific skills as well as life skills

The kids are responsible for participating in the curation process that any gallery goes through. They help choose their best works out of many, and learn to talk and write about their approach to art making and their favorite artworks. Titling, signing and framing or mounting their art is also part of the preparation. They learn to appreciate how much work goes into organizing and planning an event such as an art exhibit. Students write short biographies and artist statements and speak on video explaining some of their approach to art making. They also help patch holes in the gallery walls and repaint, clean the gallery and plan the window display.