Author Sydney Gurewitz Clemens wrote, “Art has the role in education of helping children become like themselves instead of more like everyone else.” That uniqueness is on full display this month at Northern Michigan University’s DeVos Art Museum at its annual Children’s Exhibition.

“Each year, the NMU DeVos Art Museum celebrates our area schools that support art programs for elementary students,” the Museum website reads. “This annual exhibition, featuring talented elementary students’ artwork in all media, is organized by hardworking art teachers from local schools.”

There will be a reception at the NMU DeVos Art Museum from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, May 22. The exhibition and reception are free and open to all.

Participating schools include Aspen Ridge Elementary School, AuTrain-Onota Public School, Birchview Elementary School, Cherry Creek Elementary School, Father Marquette Catholic Academy, Gilbert Elementary School, Graveraet Elementary School, K.I. Sawyer Elementary School, Lakeview Elementary School, North Star Montessori Academy, Powell Township School and Sandy Knoll Elementary School.

The community should come out to support these flourishing young artists at the reception, as well as simply stopping down any time this month to the DeVos Art Museum at NMU to see their creations. These pieces of art can really give us a glimpse into the little intricacies that make each student a little different from their classmates.

“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration… If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make a whole lot of work.” — Chuck Close

We applaud these young artists for all their hard work. It has not gone unnoticed.