After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Young at Art returns to MMoA!
160 works of art, created by nearly 200 young artists from 20 schools and organizations, were entered into this year’s exhibition. MMoA would like to thank the teachers who entered their students’ work, and the parents and guardians who made it possible for their young artists to enter individually.

MMoA also honors the legacy and memory Lil Maxwell (1921 – 2003):
Lilly Louise Weseloh Maxwell, affectionately known as Lil, was not only a woman of boundless creative energy; she was a beloved teacher of art. It was she who started the Young at Art exhibition program in 1981.
She was born February 14, 1921, in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Henry and Louise Weseloh, German immigrants who came through Ellis Island, as World War I began.
Lil left Ohio as a young woman to attend Connecticut College. After graduation, she married Edward Maxwell in 1944. Together they raised four children: Martha, Vicki, Carol, and Wes, in the village of Noank. Ed ran a paint and art supply store, Maxwellton Co., in Mystic, and Lil gave art classes in the back room. Soon her teaching expanded to the Mystic Art Association and then to Noank. Lil taught hundreds of students over a 48-year period and in some cases three generations within some families.
Lil’s dedication to Young at Art enriched the lives of participants throughout the region, who relish telling their countless stories of her joy and creativity. The Mystic Museum of Art gratefully dedicates this exhibition to her memory.

Since 1981 this exhibition has given local artists aged eighteen and under the opportunity to have their artwork installed and displayed in a museum setting. Young at Art is part of MMoA’s commitment to fostering creativity in the community, enriching children’s lives through art and art education.
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This exhibition is sponsored by the family of Lil Maxwell, with additional support provided by CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.