"They are most manifest in us when we are kids, when we have courage and little shame, for all can hum an air, draw a line or turn to make a comic face or carve a comely boat from a block of wood, equally possessed of him born rich or poor. Born in us, but doesn't stay long."-Sean O'Casey

A children's art exhibit is on display until Thursday at Pattee Library in observance of Youth Art Month.

Youth Art Month, observed every March, provides a focus for showing children's art, said Jill Kooker, chairperson for Youth Art Month in Pa.

The exhibit in the lobby of Pattee features art by children from Rolling Acres Elementary School in Littlestown, Kooker said.

Youth Art Month is sponsored by the Art and Craft Materials Institute in Boston, the National Art Education Association, and the Pennsylvania Art Education Association to encourage public support for quality school art programs, Kooker said.

During the month, "Teachers bring to focus the value of art education in public schools," Kooker said.

Governor Robert P. Casey, when proclaiming March Youth Art Month in Pa., said, "Art programs and art education in public and private schools enable our young people to realize their own talents and to understand and appreciate existing art forms. By encouraging individuality, imagination and self-confidence, these programs stimulate an interest in the arts while promoting participation in a variety of creative activities.

"These programs heighten artistic awareness and self-expression and promote the creative process," Casey said.

Kooker, along with one of the children's parents, selected the artwork to send to Pattee. "They were not judged in any way," Kooker said.

"It gives the students a chance to show their work," Kooker added.

"I'm pleased that the library is participating in it," Cassandra Zervos, Pattee exhibits coordinator, said.

"It's nice for students to come to Pattee and see art by children," she said. Students do not often get to see children's art, she added.

"They're looking at what professional artists are doing and including it in their own work," she said. "It's nice to see what they're learning. It's not just hidden in the classrooms. It's nice to set aside a month for youth art," she added.

"If you did not have art, you would not have a pretty world."-an 8-year-old child.