About Me
Hi! My name is Yena Nam. I’m currently a Junior at Emerson High School in McKinney, Texas.
Since I was a little girl, I’ve loved doing art and making an impact with my artistic passion. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be exposed to the art world at an early age, and I believe every child should be provided with resources to help them unleash their potential and discover infinite possibilities. Not only do I want children to use art as a means of creative expression and exploration, but I also want them to be able to DREAM and LEARN through art, just as I did when I was young. I want them to experience the same immensely everlasting impact of art, see themselves through the lens of hope, and always put themselves out into the world with courage, confidence, and authenticity through art.
That’s why I decided to start this project—to get one step closer to my own dream.
Our community in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, one of the most populous areas in Texas, is continuously growing. We have seen lots of economic development happening alongside our vibrant culture and diverse populations. However, our community also has faced lots of challenges as we continue to develop. These include socioeconomic disparities and low access to education and other services that make a lot of members feel excluded from our community today.
Due to differing levels of educational services, including art education, provided in the community, children in the Dallas area are being negatively impacted by not being able to receive the benefits of arts education. A lot of people these days don’t recognize the importance of arts education in children’s development. Many people do not think of art as an academic pursuit, but only a side hobby. However, according to the US News article The Benefits of Arts Education for K-12 students, “socially and economically disadvantaged children with significant arts education had better academic outcomes – including higher grades and test scores and higher rates of graduation and college enrollment – than their peers without arts involvement.”
As a student who dreams about being an artist someday in the future, I empathize with children who do not have enough resources and access to education to pursue their dreams in art and further explore their identities as an artist. By providing a platform for kids to self-directed exploration in art, they will be able to boost their social-emotional skill along with academic development. Therefore, in order to achieve that goal, I decided to start my passion project that helps children become more exposed to arts education.
The Dreamers’ Palette is an online website I created in order to document my action steps for this project. The primary plan is to specially design an art kit for children to complete an artwork on their own. By producing those art kits every month and providing them to children who are interested in expanding their artistic exposure, I hope they are able to gain confidence and ability through their own creativity. In addition, because I want these children to receive appropriate guidance from teachers and mentors, monthly workshops will also be held in the community center in order for them to engage with other artists and learn more deeply about art from mentors, including myself.
Background Story
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”— Walt Disney, Father of Animation
Throughout the project, children will be able to learn how to express their ideas and messages through art and create their own unique pieces of artwork. In order to showcase their talents and let their voices be heard, an exhibition festival will also be held in May at the end of the school year if possible.
