New York State is celebrating student creativity for America’s 250th by creating a digital quilt.
Open to all K–12 students in New York State from June to December 2026
Schools, libraries, museums, and after-school programs across the state are invited to participate and submit NYS K-12 student work from June 2026-December 2026.
The Tapestry of New York Digital Platform
The Tapestry of New York—is a new online platform showcasing the creative work of New York students in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. The platform will be available statewide to all students K-12 to submit their artwork and media around the theme of “We The People”.
The platform will feature artwork and media created by elementary, middle, and high school students across the state, reflecting their unique views on the American Revolution and the efforts to expand the reach of rights and liberties for “We the People”. Student submissions can include collages, drawings, paintings, photography, graphics, videos, and other artworks. All submissions will include written artist’s statements by the student about how their work connects to their idea of “We the People”. The Tapestry of New York is an online gallery of student work, from the New York State 250th Commemorative Commission and The WNET Group. (Thirteen/WNET NYC Station) The project is presented in collaboration with all NYS PBS stations.
Who can submit art work to the project?
Any K-12 student in New York State can submit artwork to the project. Permissions from parent/guardians and teachers/educators/librarians are explained in the submission guidelines on the Tapestry of New York site. Out of school groups, youth organizations, public libraries, museums, arts organizations, home school settings, and others interested in the project within New York State are welcome to submit artwork if they are a K-12 student and provide the required sign-offs for submission.
Theme: What does “We the People” mean to you?
The theme of the project is: 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:
- Who is still left out from “We the People”?
- 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”?
The Tapestry of New York visual storytelling platform features:
- A teacher toolkit to support historical reflection, inquiry, and enrichment
- A multidisciplinary approach integrating art, media, social studies, and ELA
- Searchable student submissions, filterable by school, keyword, genre, and more
