Students Tyson Barker and Hali Goodwin are representing the Boothbay area throughout March at the Portland Museum of Art. Their works were chosen by their art teachers to hang in the museum’s Youth Art Month exhibition, now in its 23rd year.

Barker is a fourth grader at Boothbay Region Elementary School. His drawing features a lighthouse surrounded by stones, ocean and sky. Barker used markers in every shade from yellow to purple because he wanted to make it colorful, he said. Neither artist has been to Portland to see their work because they've been busy, but both hope to go.

Goodwin, a freshman at Boothbay Region High School, created a spooky, dark collage using cut paper in the style of French artist Henri Matisse. After the BRHS freshman class saw the play, “A Christmas Carol,” at Lewiston’s Public Theater last November, BRHS art instructor Manon Lewis assigned her students a scene from the play. Goodwin chose to re-imagine the Ghost of Christmas Future.

BRES art instructor Jessica Nadeau said choosing only one piece of art for the show is always a tough decision. “I try to select a piece of art that represents a major breakthrough or success for a student that deserves special recognition for their dedication and creativity,” she said.

A statement on the museum’s website reads in part, “While Youth Art Month provides significant encouragement to students and well-deserved recognition for educators, the exhibition is for more than just the participating students and their families and teachers — it is for the entire community to discover the emerging voices of Maine’s youth and to recognize the immense value of arts education in our schools.”

The museum is located at Seven Congress Square. Winter hours are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The museum is free on Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. Admission is $15 adults, $13 seniors, and $10 for students with identification. Children under 14 get in free.