On Friday, March 7, the Lancaster Museum of Art hosted an opening reception for the Lancaster County Young Artists (LCYA) & Scholastic Art Awards. LCYA is a regional competition for students in grades 7-12 to showcase their art. Students had the opportunity to submit their work to this show to be judged at the regional level, and winners will advance to having their pieces judged at the national level.

The exhibition at the Lancaster Museum of Art includes pieces from artists at Manheim Township, as well as 10 other school districts, and features artwork in a variety of forms. Some of the categories for the competition included paintings, ceramics, prints, photography and sculptures, among others. The exhibit opened on March 8 and will be open through April 27.

Additionally, art from seven other school districts who participated in the LCYA competition can be seen at the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design (PCA&D) until April 20.

“This year had one of the largest number of art submissions at just over 1,000 pieces of art,” said MT art teacher Mr. Jones.

Along with the large number of submissions, the quality of the art was strong, which made it very difficult for artists to have their pieces accepted into the show.

“The artwork is equal to college level works, making Lancaster County and the northeast one of the most competitive regions in the U.S.,” Jones said.