Albany Child Artists Get a National Showing 

February 2017 and January 2018 Language Arts cover art by Isabella Romeo, at left, and Jacky Nguyen.

ALBANY, N.Y. (February 8, 2018) — Two works of art by City of Albany elementary school children have graced the cover of a national peer-reviewed journal for teachers in recent months.

The November 2017 issue of Language Arts, a publication of the National Council of the Teachers of English with about 6,500 subscribers, featured the work of Isabella Romeo, created when she was in sixth grade at Eagle Point Elementary School, and this year’s January issue showcased a painting by Jacky Nguyen, created when she was a third-grader at New Scotland Elementary School.

Kelly Wissman, associate professor of Literacy Teaching and Learning at the University at Albany, serves as a co-editor of Language Arts, and helps choose the art for the covers by attending local art shows and visiting the classrooms of local art teachers.

“I take photographs of possible images and then my co-editors decide if we want to request permission from the students and families to use an image on the cover,” said Wissman. “We then scan the art work and write a brief description of the artist and art teacher for the journal.”

Isabella and Jacky, their art teachers, and school principals received copies of the published journals. Isabella, whose artwork used tints, shades, and glitter, had Molly Suwara as an art teacher. Jacky, whose painting was Harlem Renaissance-inspired, had Helen Martin as her art teacher.

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