Greely High School student Brynn Vogel’s artwork is “accessible to a wide audience, while still creating curiosity for the viewer,” her teacher says. It will be exhibited at the Portland Museum of Art through April 2. Contributed / Brynn Vogel

Greely High School student artist Brynn Vogel’s painting of a reflection in a detailed eye is hanging at the Portland Museum of Art this month as part of a special exhibit honoring young artists.

In partnership with the Maine Art Education Association, the museum is displaying 79 pieces of student work during its Youth Art Month to shine a light on the important work being done in school art rooms around the state, said Meghan Quigley Graham, PMA’s learning and teaching manager.

“The arts help students find voice and visualize their unique perspectives on the world around us,” Graham said. “They are a vehicle for creative expression and communication about topics and themes that are essentially human.”

Each year, teachers who are members of the Maine Art Education Association choose one of their students for the PMA exhibit. Greely High School art teacher Ceri Botto selected Vogel, who is in the school’s Advanced Placement Studio Art program.

Educators typically choose students who show a passion for the arts, or have worked diligently to create a piece of artwork, and Botto said choosing one student to represent Greely is always difficult. She chose Vogel this year, she said, because of her accurate representation of a reflection while maintaining style and balancing drawing skills and concept.

“This piece felt accessible to a wide audience, while still creating curiosity for the viewer,” Botto said. “It’s a piece I find myself wanting more time with.”

Vogel could not be reached for comment before The Forecaster’s print deadline.

Displaying students’ work in a museum like the PMA boosts their self-esteem while at the same time showcases the positive and lasting impact of art education, Botto said.

“It’s always a wonderful feeling to be able to choose a work of art each year to highlight for this important exhibition,” she said.

Youth Art Month is one of the best-loved exhibits for both staff and patrons of the museum, Graham said. It’s “extra joy-filled” this year because it is being held at the museum after being online only since 2020 because of the pandemic.

“It brings so much joy and color to the lower ground floor area with the variety of media and perspectives. We look forward to it every year,” she said.

The Youth Art Month exhibit will be on display on the Lower Ground Floor of PMA until April 2 and can also be viewed at portlandmuseum.org.

“I hope people will consider visiting the show sometime in March to see this piece along with the rest of our state’s wonderful young artists,” Botto said.