We want to celebrate your talent!
If you are a 12-18-year-old artist in the Saint Paul or east metro area, register today to participate in the Emerging Young Artist (EYA) program.
EYA provides opportunities for professional artists to come to your school and offer valuable guidance and feedback that will help you take your art to the next level. Along the way, you’ll get to experience new skills, mediums, and processes.
Your work will be displayed in our juried art show!
For the show, professional artists will review your creations and provide feedback. It’s a great opportunity for new artists (like you!) to share their work with the world, because your art will be displayed in a gallery exhibition. You’ll also be eligible to win awards.
Participating is really easy.
If you are an artist in grades 7-12 and are living in or going to school in Saint Paul or the east metro, please send us your artwork by January 29th via our submittable page. You will be able to submit up to three pieces of work along with an artist statement and any other info you’d like to provide.
Check out this video from the 2023 Emerging Young Artist Award Show and gallery exhibition. This could be you this year!
Resources
Here is a video from COMPAS Teaching Artist Kelley Meister that offers instructions for how artists can photograph their artwork.
Info for teachers
EYA is an initiative from COMPAS to deliver visual arts education where it is needed most. Minnesota has one of the largest gaps in the country when it comes to education outcomes disparities by race and socio-economic status, and that achievement gap is especially prevalent right here in Saint Paul. Over 65% of Saint Paul Public School students receive free or reduced-price lunch, and 79% are non-white.
EYA-Saint Paul program delivers highly-discounted arts residencies to under-resourced middle and high schools in the Saint Paul metro area. Students will be invited to submit work to a juried gallery exhibition curated by COMPAS Teaching Artists, and select participants will receive monetary awards recognizing their achievements. Ultimately, EYA will provide more Minnesotans with equitable access to creative experiences and help cultivate the next generation of creative professionals.
How can I help my students participate in EYA?
If you are a teacher or administrator at a Saint Paul or east metro school (districts 625, 624, 623, 622, 621, 833, 6, or 197) and would like an EYA residency at your school, you can request a visual artist right now through our website, or you can email julie@compas.org with questions.
Eligible students must be in grades 7-12 (or homeschool equivalent) and either a) reside or b) attend school within Minnesota school districts 625, 624, 623, 622, 621, 833, 6, or 197. Students who attend homeschool or private school are welcome to submit work, but discounted residencies will only be offered to public schools.
COMPAS’ Emerging Young Artists - Saint Paul program is an evolution of the Les Farrington Best 100 Juried Art Show, previously administered by JCI Saint Paul. From 1957 until 2019, the Best 100 Art Show was an annual gallery exhibition showcasing the talent of young Saint Paul artists. Thanks to the Saint Paul Jaycees Charitable Foundation for their support as a legacy sponsor of EYA-Saint Paul.
2024 EYA Gallery Show Timeline
Jury of Local Professional Artists Review Submissions: Jan 31-Feb 6, 2024
Artworks Selected: Feb 9, 2024
Artists Notified: Feb 14, 2024
Artworks Picked up At Schools: Feb 22-23, 2024
Gallery Show Opening Event: March 7, 2024
Gallery Show: March 7-April 28, 2024
Artworks Taken Down and Returned: April 29-May 1, 2024
