Young Artist - The Word with
Heather René Dunaway
October 2026
Wowee, I’m still tired.
It’s probably permanent. Let’s face it. Arts in the Heart takes all of your energy and there just isn’t enough sweet treats to re-fill my 36-year-old cup.
But you know what does refill my cup, actually? Seeing all the kids getting excited about participating in the Family Area. Whether it’s the Young Artist Market, Chalk Art Competition, performing on the Family Stage or doing activities in the Family Area’s Cultural Arts and Crafts Passport Program. I even hear about it from our littlest arts lovers for months after.
“I had so much fun!” or “I sold my first artwork!” or “I sang in front of a big crowd and only messed up a little bit one time but I was a big girl and didn’t cry!”
I think one big take away these Young Artists get is that it takes a big community to make the arts happen. They get to share in the experience of connecting with other kids who are also doing what they love. There are a lot of friendships to be made. Art really comforted me as a kid who was often bullied for being a touch weird, and Arts in the Heart gives kids the space to just be themselves with other kids who are also just being themselves.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. Arts in the Heart is like summer camp. The committee who runs it (the GAAC Board, staff, and volunteers) are like the camp counselors and the participants are like different cabins. There’s a cabin full of Fine Artists, a cabin for volunteers, a cabin for performers, for food, and one big one for the kids.
The festival itself is like parents day, when the crowds come out to admire all you have learned at festival camp.
For the kids, especially, there is a lot to learn and a lot of opportunities to do so. As part of the Youth Emerging Artist Membership, we are growing those opportunities and resources. This year, the Young Artist Market was reserved only for YEA members, but they also get their own special show in the City Gallery (the 8×10 show), access to portions of the lending library (with their grown-ups permission), mentorship opportunities and portfolio reviews for rising seniors who are interested in applying for art schools, and pop-up events.
One we are going to be releasing soon is the Teen Tinsel Market at Augusta & Co. where 20 of our YEA members, ages 13+, can apply to sell their work in a young artist holiday market. Hopefully, that call will be released in late October.
It’s markets like these where artsy kids learn about the business of being an artist. Not just the making of the art or learning their craft, which is incredibly important, but the marketing, accounting, logistics, and professionalism that will be expected of them if they want to be successful. This goes for all art forms.
Now, not every kid will pursue the arts in their careers, but the knowledge they gain from creating and experiencing the arts will carry into any work they do in their future.
That’s why the arts are such an important thing to support.
Now that festival season is over, or just starting again, depending on how you look at it, we are back in office working on our next events. Including two gallery installations, two upcoming receptions for this galleries, open calls for public art closing, one big sculpture installation, 10-15 small sculpture installations, the new YEA holiday market coordination, 2 sculpture commissions, 7 storm drain murals, an AR mural series release, prep for the annual WetPaint Party and Art Sale, and probably more things. Real talk, the festival turns my brain to spaghetti.
Now is the best time to show your support and show up for the arts by joining the arts council. A lot of folks don’t know this, but we do way more than just Arts in the Heart throughout the year. If the aforementioned list of happenings didn’t give you a clue or two.
If you have a young artist interested in joining, please email Cat at admin@augustaarts.com. All others can click here to join!