In honor of America’s 250th anniversary,

K-12 students across New York State are invited to participate in Tapestry of New York, a statewide art media project celebrating creativity, history, and civic reflection.

Students will submit artwork or media exploring the theme “We the People,” to be featured in the Tapestry of New York online gallery.

Theme: We the People

The preamble of the U.S. Constitution begins with the famous words, “We the People of the United States…” However, ideas about what it means to be an American have changed over the past 250 years, as New Yorkers have advocated for a more expansive definition that includes people of more diverse backgrounds.

Students are invited to create artwork or media that explores one of more of the following questions from their own perspective.

  • What does “We the People” mean to you? 
  • Who is included in your idea of “We the People”?  
  • What makes you feel like you belong to your community or country?  
  • Which historical and/or contemporary figures have fought for a more inclusive idea of “We the People”? 
  • Who is still left out from “We the People”?

See the Educator Toolkit for more detailed background and supporting materials.

Who Can Participate

Tapestry of New York welcomes submissions from K–12 students across New York State, including those in:

  • Public, private, and charter schools
  • Homeschool programs
  • Libraries, museums, and after-school programs
  • Community and youth organizations

Students may participate through a teacher or program leader, who submits work on their behalf. Parents or caregivers may also help students submit work.

Submission Dates

Submissions will be accepted any time from June – December 2026.

What to Submit

Students are encouraged to express their ideas in a range of visual art or media formats, including:

  • Collages
  • Drawings
  • Paintings
  • Photography
  • Digital graphics
  • Video
  • Multimedia artwork

One image (jpg, png, webp – max 4MB) or video file (mp4, mov, webm – max 512MB) per submission will be accepted. If you are submitting a video file, make sure the first frame is what you would like your preview image to look like.

Each submission should be accompanied by a short written statement from the student (max 1,000 characters) describing their work and how it responds to the question: What does “We the People” mean to you? (Note: Please do not include any personally identifying details about yourself, such as your last name or the street you live on.)

How to Submit

  1. A teacher/educator, parent, or guardian registers to participate on behalf of the student(s).
  2. Once approved, they receive a submission code.
  3. Teachers, parents/caregivers, or students (with help from adults) can then upload student submissions through the online submission form.
  4. Each submission includes the student’s work, media file, and a short description written by the student. You may find this submission template helpful.

Review and Publication

All submissions will be reviewed by project staff. When approved, student work will be published to the public showcase on this website.  

We hope to include as many submissions as possible. All submissions will be reviewed for possible inclusion in the tapestry with the following considerations in mind: 

  • Submissions need to be original creations by individual students, without the use of AI (artificial intelligence).  
  • Submissions should reflect respectful tone and language, ensuring that the dignity of all is uplifted as part of the project’s mission to embrace diversity and unity across New York State. 
  • Permission will be obtained from the rights holder for any copyrighted third-party content (i.e., music, photographs, artwork, or commercial products with logos) included, or from any people whose image, audio, or video appears in the student’s work.  
  • Submissions should be clearly relevant to the historical themes outlined in on this webpage under “Theme: We the People.” 
  • Submissions should be a work of visual art or media (strictly text-based works or audio-only submissions will not be accepted), with an accompanying clear written statement. 
  • Submissions should not reveal any personal or identifying details of the artist or other individuals. 

Submitters will be notified via email only if their submission is not approved, and will be able to revise and submit their work again.

Honoring Student Voices

The Tapestry of New York project uplifts the voices of New York students as part of our commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary. The project recognizes both the promise of the American Revolution and the unfinished work of ensuring that all New Yorkers can fully share in the founding ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

Some submissions may address complex, sensitive, painful, or contested topics in New York’s history and civic life. Viewers are encouraged to engage with this work through a lens of culturally responsive and sustaining education, respect, curiosity, and thoughtful dialogue, recognizing that students are inspired and impacted by a wide range of individuals and experiences. Parents, caregivers, and educators are encouraged to preview content and use the accompanying resources to support meaningful conversations with students. 

Through this project, we seek to honor student voice, deepen understanding across communities, and celebrate the history and unity we share across the state of New York.

For More Information

View our For Educators page, which includes our Educator Toolkit, with lessons and supporting resources that integrate art and social studies learning.

Questions? View our Frequently Asked Questions. For further assistance, email us at TapestryOfNY@wnet.org. 

Call for Submissions