National YoungArts Week

National YoungArts Week is YoungArts’ signature program that offers award winners at the Finalist level the guidance they need to prepare for the next stage of their artistic development.

To continue supporting artists through the pandemic, the 2021 National YoungArts Week program took place online, and finalists across 10 disciplines participated in virtual classes and interdisciplinary workshops with internationally recognized leaders in their field, such as acclaimed visual artist Zoe Buckman; Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction recipient and bestselling author Edwidge Danticat; Grammy Award-winning vocalist and songwriter Lisa Fischer; Grammy and Tony Award nominee and Broadway actor Michael McElroy*; principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and virtuoso Anthony McGill; editor at large for special projects at TIME and photographer extraordinaire Paul Moakley; Grammy Award-winning film composer Nora Kroll Rosenbaum; one of the most influential graphic designers in the world Paula Scher; and Emmy and Grammy award-winning audio engineer Patrick Smith*, among many others. Finalists were eligible for financial awards of up to $10,000, as well as for nomination as U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. 

Following the week-long intensive, audiences were invited to meet the most accomplished young artists during six nights of free virtual performances, writers’ readings and an exhibition, and through an online digital anthology and catalogue. 

*YoungArts Award Winner