The Alumni Council of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers presented their first group exhibition, Now.After, from June 19–July 1 at FRONT Art Space in New York City. Friends and supporters gathered on June 22 to celebrate at an opening reception and toast the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Alumni featured in the show.

The exhibition featured the work of twelve Alumni artists and writers that included: Council members Winston Chmielinski, Dionisio Cortes Ortega, Haris Durrani, Timothy Hyunsoo Lee, Loretta Lopez, Justin Nissley, Iviva Olenick, Antonio Pulgarin, and Mara Sprafkin; 2016 Alumni Writers Resident Katie McGinnis; and 2016 Alumni Microgrant Recipients Karina Puente and Pacifico Silano. A portion of the exhibitions’ sales benefited the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers to support the future of Scholastic Awards Alumni Programs.

In this endeavor, the Alumni Council raised funds to expand two programs that have already provided direct support to fourteen Alumni in the last two years, fund future alumni exhibitions, and help Alumni artists and writers in their post-award careers by exhibiting their work. For many young and emerging artists, representation and exposure are some of the most difficult experiences to obtain and the Council looks forward to opening this opportunity to even more Alumni in the future.

The Alliance prides itself on identifying the early promise of young people and we are grateful to have advocates like the Alumni Council to champion the arts for teenagers while also encouraging other Alumni to remain connected to the program. Thank you to the Council for creating a space for past Scholastic Awards recipients to showcase their expertise!