Nov 14, 2013 Crystal Bridges is taking part in one of the largest children’s art events in history, called Everyartist Live!, engaging hundreds of thousands of elementary school children in a nationwide celebration of art and creativity. Thursday, Nov. 21, children in Benton and Washington counties and across the U.S. will create original pieces of artwork with the theme of gratitude in mind. Their creative canvases will then be displayed online and in art museums including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Locally, organizers estimate that 40,000 children will participate across Northwest Arkansas. Art created by area children will be displayed beginning in December in time for Winter Break at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and beginning in January at The Walton Arts Center, The Jones Center for Families and the Fayetteville and Bentonville Trails and Pathways. The event is part of a partnership between the Walmart Museum, Walmart and Everyartist.me, an organization that seeks to foster the creative development of children around the country. In April of 2012, more than 8,500 children from the Bentonville School District came together to fill a football field with their works of art, now displayed in a mural at the intersection of Main Street and Central Avenue in Bentonville, near the Walmart Museum. This year, Everyartist.me has expanded their goal to hold the largest art event in history. Brendan O’Connell, co-founder of Everyartist.me and the artist behind “The Walmart Series” collection is inspired to bring this democratic art experience to millions of children nationwide on an annual basis and to provide on-going support through a digital community. 125 schools across Benton and Washington counties will set aside time for children to create their own artistic interpretations of gratitude on Nov. 21. Students who are homeschooled are also invited to participate by attending events at the following locations: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Experience Art Studio. Walton Arts Center from 9:30 a.m. to noon in Community Creative Center Children’s Studio located in Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studio Walton Arts Center from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Boys and Girls Club on Rupple Road in east Fayetteville Following the event, parents and students can upload artwork through the Everyartist app and join the national conversation about why #CREATIVITYMATTERS on Twitter & Facebook. About Everyartist.me Everyartist, at its core, seeks to unleash the creativity innate in every child. The organization is carrying out this mission by creating a national collaborative art event designed to foster the creative development in children around the country. Numerous research studies and experts in the field believe that supporting the creativity of children and giving them an outlet to express themselves is just as important as the work that is done in Reading/Writing, Science and Math. Budgets for arts programs across the country are experiencing deep cuts due to education policies, narrowing school curricula, and an undervaluing of the arts experience. And yet, a growing body of research indicates that the arts are essential for academic achievement, social engagement, and innovative thinking. Find out more about how Everyartist came to be and how to get involved here: http://Everyartist.me
