Budding Pinellas Artists To Be Honored For License Plate Art

LARGO, FL -- More than 500 budding young artists along with their families, teachers and fans will be on hand Thursday, Jan. 18, to be honored for their unique artistic interpretations of Florida.

The celebration and awards ceremony at Largo High School is the culmination of the 2017 Kids Tag Art Pinellas program, a partnership between the Pinellas County Tax Collector's Office and Pinellas County Schools.

The program was started three years ago to help finance desperately needed art supplies in the county’s public schools, many of which have students on free lunch programs because their parents can’t afford to purchase school lunches.

In that time, Kids Tag Art Pinellas has raised $100,000 for Pinellas elementary art programs and college scholarships. Statewide, the Kids Tag Art program is expected to reach the $1 million mark this year.

The program, which encourages fifth- graders to design custom license plates, has given elementary art teachers between $800 to more than $1,000 each to keep their classrooms stocked with crayons, paints, chalk and paintbrushes.

The Tag Art Pinellas Award Ceremony, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Largo High School auditorium, 410 Missouri Ave. N., will honor the top license plate designs chosen this year by a panel of retired Pinellas County art teachers.

"This is our opportunity to tell children, right before they hit middle school, that they are creative and talented and deserve positive recognition,” said Pinellas County Tax Collector Charles W. Thomas. “Our hope is that Kids Tag Art Pinellas inspires them to see themselves in a different light,"

Two thousand students from 43 Pinellas County schools participated in the program this school year.

The metal vanity front license plates cost $15 each with $3.50 shipping and handling, and can be purchased online at the Kids Tag Art Pinellas website.

Proceeds are donated to Pinellas County elementary art classrooms as well as a fine arts scholarship fund at St. Petersburg College.

Photos via Kids Tag Art Pinellas