YOUTH ART MONTH

Youth Art Month (affectionately known as YAM) is celebrated in March every year. As arts and academic institutions began to open up again in post-pandemic Maine, I was asked to rebrand the program in hopes of attracting the talents of new generations of young artists.

Taking a cue from the tuber, I looked to one of the first childhood art practices for inspiration—the potato print.

I drew inspiration for the visual identity and color palette from the gridded notebooks of my school days, creating a visual system that encourages young students toward careers and practices in arts and design.

Part of the brief requested products that could be gifted to students selected to participate in the YAM exhibition. It was important that the swag products were items that could be used in both the galleries and the classroom. Being that it was March in Maine, I decided to go an additional step and design sweatshirts and beanies for the students to keep them cozy and creative.

KPIs

After launching the new brand in 2021, the number of YAM student artists increased by 88% from 2022 to 2023, with students from over 90% of school districts in Maine participating. An educator spotlight program was also introduced as a result of the program's increased brand recognition in the past two years, increasing buy-in and support from both educators and school administrators.