Guest post by Alliance staffer Katie Babick

On September 14, dozens of students from across the country (and as far away as Hawaii!) plus their families and teachers gathered at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC to celebrate the opening of ART.WRITE.NOW DC. Almost 100 works are featured in this special exhibition, selected from the 2011 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and will hang in the DoED as well at the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities for the next year.

The day of celebration kicked off with a workshop led by Carl Pao, a visiting artist from Hawaii. Carl helped the students develop their own watermarks, a visual device commonly used in traditional Hawaiian art. Then, to energize the group and encourage collaboration he allowed the students to exchange work and incorporate their own watermarks into their neighbors. The results were sometimes beautiful, sometimes strange and always unexpected!

Following the workshop, students, parents and teachers gathered for a ceremony. Speakers included Jim Shelton, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement; Virginia McEnerney, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers; and Rachel Goslins, Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Visitors were also treated to two Hawaiian Hula performances. After the ceremony, students cut a ribbon and welcomed attendees to the exhibition.

The rest of the afternoon was packed with activities, including a special lunch with Carl Pao at the National Museum of the Native American. The museum features a café with traditional Native American foods and live musical performances in an adjacent atrium. After lunch, the students broke into small groups for docent-led tours of the National Gallery of Art’s East Wing. The East Wing holds the museum’s modern and contemporary art collection and all the students left the museum sharing their excitement for the iconic works on display, including many by Scholastic Award winners.

Finally, the students concluded their day at the Old Post Office Tower which houses the offices for the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The works chosen for this space hang in the offices of the PCAH staff, who opened their doors and welcomed our students inside. Members of the PCAH who may visit the offices in the coming year and see these works include artist Chuck Close, actress Sarah Jessica Parker and musician Yo-Yo Ma!

If you can’t make it to DC in the next year, you can still see the show by clicking here.