East Grand student has artwork on display at Blaine House

    AUGUSTA — A senior from East Grand High School was one of 38 artists to have her work displayed at the Blaine House as part of the Maine Youth Excllence in Art program. Ashley Malone’s artwork entitled “Stars” is on display in the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee Room 202 in Augusta’s state house through Oct. 31.
    Malone, along with the other artists, were invited to the Blaine House Thursday, where they met Maine’s first lady and received recognition for their participation in an art exhibition that has been on display throughout Maine’s capitol since June.
    Students from Palermo Consolidated School; Wiscasset High School; Boothbay Region High School; Readfield Elementary School; Waterville High School; and Bangor’s Fruit Street School were honored for their part in the Maine Youth Excellence in Art program. These young artists, who have brightened Maine’s corridors of power in recent months, will receive certificates of excellence from First Lady Karen Baldacci honoring their achievement.
     The Maine Youth Excellence in Art program was developed by Maine’s First Lady, Karen Baldacci, working with the Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Alliance for Arts Education and the Maine Art Education Association.  In the last five years, this program has given young artists from Maine’s 818 public and private K-12 schools an opportunity to have their artwork exhibited in Augusta. To date, more than 500 student works have been shown in the state capital. The first lady noted, “There is an immense amount of talent in our schools and showcasing student art is a wonderful way to create a vibrant space for our citizens and visitors to enjoy. Everyone is thrilled to see the display of artworks created by our young artists.”
    Visitors interested in seeing the works can find them located in the north and south corridors of the Burton M. Cross Office Building, the Maine State House, the governor’s reception area, the office of the speaker of the house and the Blaine House. This is an ongoing exhibit and the next group of works will be put on display at the end of October. Art teachers of all grade levels are welcome to submit student art for this exhibition.
    For more information, including more detailed guidelines and schedule for exhibitions visit www.mainearts.com, or contact Paul Faria at the Maine Arts Commission, 207/287-2790, paul.faria@maine.gov.
    All Arts in the Capitol events are free and open to the public. Visitors with special needs are encouraged to call ahead. These exhibitions are a component of the Maine Arts Commission’s ongoing Arts in Education program.
    For a complete list of the works on exhibit and their locations, hours and closing date online visit
http://mainearts.maine.gov/organizations/projects/MaineYouthExcellence.shtml.