In recognition of Youth Art Month, the Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg will hold its Annual Focus on Youth Juried Show throughout March, in the Guild Gallery at Chapman Cultural Center in downtown Spartanburg.

National Youth Art Month began in 1961 as an annual observance each March to emphasize the value of art and art education for all children, and to encourage public support for quality school art programs.

Locally, this is the fifth year that artist and art teacher Robert Urban has curated this event for the guild and local high schools. Urban inherited curating this event from David Benson, who had been teaching art in Spartanburg County Schools since 1978 and was an active Guild member.

The mission of the guild is, “to cultivate, nurture and grow the visual arts in our community by supporting local artists.

“Program planners of the Spartanburg Artists’ Guild made an excellent decision when they decided to pay homage to young fledgling artists by sponsoring a special exhibit just high school students and it has become one of the most celebrated events held at the Chapman Cultural Center,” Urban said.

Participating high schools in this exhibit are Boiling Springs, Broome, Byrnes, Byrnes Freshman Academy, Chapman, Chesnee, Dorman, Dorman Freshman Campus, Landrum, Spartanburg, Spartanburg Freshman Academy and Woodruff.

Teachers submit five entries from each class for a chance to be juried into the show.  The juror will select about 40 out of 90 entries to be exhibited.