Miami, FL – September 27, 2016 – National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) kicked off its 2016-2017 season with the third annual YoungArts Awareness Day, promoting the arts as a viable and rewarding career path, and celebrating the outstanding achievements of artists across the nation, many of whom are YoungArts alumni. With more than 500 artists, enthusiasts, donors, museums, foundations, journalists and YoungArts alumni sharing their personal art stories with photos and videos using hashtags #myartstory and #youngarts on social media, both Washington D.C. and Miami upped the ante with dedicated live events. In Miami at the YoungArts Gallery, celebrations kicked-off with a private donor reception introducing MouthWater, a multi-generational exhibition curated by renowned sculptor and YoungArts panelist and master teacher Robert Chambers. Featuring the works of 20 YoungArts alumni across 35 years of winners from 1980 – 2016, artists in attendance included Eric Rhein, Cheryl Smith, Jackson McGrath and Leonardo Bacan.

At the opening party held at Ted’s, YoungArts President & CEO Carolina García Jayaram announced the organization’s first-ever Visual Arts Discipline sponsor, Related Group, to notable guests such as Marisa Fort of Arquitectonica (Design Arts Discipline sponsor) and Andres Fanjul of JPMorgan Chase, as well as Orlando Garcia, Bill Jones, Kathryn Mikesell, Jackson Wright, Stefanie Reed, and Tiffany Chestler of corporate partner, Miami Design District. Starr Catering Group provided sweet and savory treats at the event. MouthWater is on view and open to the public through November 21.

Reynaldo Hernandez & Eric Rhein

Eduardo Amador

Carolina Garcia Jayaram, Robert Chambers, Leonardo Bacan, Cheryl Megan Smith, & Eric Rhein

Carolina Garcia Jayaram, Robert Chambers, Leonardo Bacan, Cheryl Megan Smith, Eric Rhein, & Jackson McGrath

Leonardo Bacan, Cheryl Megan Smith, Jackson McGrath, & Eric Rhein

Cheryl Megan Smith

Cheryl Megan Smith

Annabel Harvey & Kaela Karakoski

Joan Quinlivan, Kathryn Mikesell, & Carolina Garcia Jayaram

Robert Chambers, Carolina Garcia Jayaram, Eric Rhein, Cheryl Megan Smith, Leonardo Bacan, & Jackson McGrath

Marisa Fort, Cody Courbier, & Felicia Marquez

Leonardo Bacan & Eric Rhein

Andrew Stevens, Nathaly Charria, Typoe, John Quach, Cristina Gonzalez, & Dejha Carrington

Typoe, John Quach, & Neil Ramsay

Ruben Millares, Antonia Wright, & Books Bischof

Crista Azqueta, Esther Park, & Chris DiSchino

Carolina Garcia Jayaram, Leonardo Bacan, & Esther Park

Felicia Marquez & Hassan Pierre

Mooli Freiman & Dennis Richard

Jennifer Rocha, Eric Rhein, & Leonardo Bacan

Gail Epstein, John Clark, & Bill Jones

John Clark, Marisa Fort, Cody Courbier, & Felicia Marquez

Michael Stavredes & Kevin O’Donnell

Cassandra Vicary & Andres Fanjul

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