"River of Words" art on exhibit at Youth Gallery, Community Arts Center

HANCOCK -- Environmental and nature art by K-12 students from around Michigan is currently on display in the Youth Gallery of the Copper Country Community Art Center (CCCAC) in Hancock.

"River of Beavers" by John Xuecheng Fan from Wines Elementary in Ann Arbor, Mich. Click on photo for larger version. (Photos courtesy Copper Country Community Arts Center)

The art in this exhibit represents a wide range of entries to the River of Words Poetry and Art contest, a national Library of Congress and River of Words project coordinated at the state level by the CCCAC staff. Each year, in affiliation with The Library of Congress Center for the Book, River of Words conducts a free international poetry and art contest for youth on the theme of watersheds. The contest is designed to help youth explore the natural and cultural history of the place they live and to express, through poetry and art, what they discover.

"Fish" by Annie Huang of Wines Elementary, Ann Arbor, Mich.

According to Cynthia Coté, CCCAC director, "The entries hanging in the gallery demonstrate the creativity and natural aspirations of young people toward an integrated life with nature."

The River of Words exhibit will be on display though July 3. The Community Arts Center is located at 126 Quincy Street, Hancock. For more information call 482-2333 or e-mail ccarts@chartermi.net.