Long Beach Educator Honored For Art Initiatives

The Council for Art Education and the National Art Education Association has announced that Long Beach Public Schools Director of Media, Visual and Performing Arts Julia Lang-Shapiro will be presented with the national Award of Excellence for involvement in Youth Art Month. A co-chairperson for New York State Youth Art Month since 2007, she has been instrumental in the organization’s receipt of a total of nine awards.

Youth Art Month is a nationwide annual observance of school arts programs during the month of March. The Long Beach Public Schools celebrates with participation in the All County Art Show as well as a district-wide art exhibit at the Magnolia Center. Lang-Shapiro coordinates the Youth Art Month flag design competition, of which Long Beach High School graduate Max Tunney was deemed statewide winner in 2015-16.

New York State Youth Art Month has previously received two Awards of Excellence as well as Awards of Merit and Best New Program/New Promotion awards. The 2017-18 awards will be presented at the National Art Education Association conference in Boston in March of 2019, when Ms. Lang-Shapiro and her co-chairpersons Donnalyn Shuster and Heather McCutcheon will accept the honor on behalf of the program.

Photo courtesy Long Beach School District