Daydreams Annual Children's Art Exhibition & Fundraiser

Each year, the Daydreams community comes together in joyful celebration for our much-anticipated Annual Art Exhibition & Fundraiser. Rooted in the Reggio Emilia approach, this event is a vibrant reflection of the children's voices, ideas, and imaginations as they explore a chosen theme through open-ended artmaking.

The children engage deeply with materials, processes, and possibilities, offering us windows into their thinking through their expressive representations. These works of art are not only beautiful—they are thoughtful, meaningful, and alive with creativity.

A beloved tradition of this event is the honoring of our Artist of the Year, whose selected piece is featured on commemorative mugs available for purchase. Each mug becomes a treasured keepsake and a way to carry the child's creativity into the wider world.

Families, community members, and local stakeholders are warmly invited to experience the magic of this evening, support our early learning program, and take part in the shared joy of children's learning made visible.

  In 2024, our theme invited each classroom to follow their own unique paths of inquiry, drawing inspiration from the children's interests, ideas, and ongoing projects. The result is a rich, diverse collection of open-ended art that beautifully reflects the identity of each learning space and the thoughts of the children within them.

We were especially honored to recognize our 2024 Artist of the Year, HW, an infant from our Junior Infant Room. HW’s piece, The Midnight Clouds, was created using a paint-on-paper process sealed within a Ziploc bag, allowing for full sensory engagement as tiny hands moved through the colors, blending and swirling to create a dreamlike composition. This thoughtful and process-rich piece was featured during our 2024 exhibition.

In 2025, our theme Fire and Ice invited the children to explore the contrast between these two polarizing elements through the lens of art. From vibrant reds and deep blues to the emotional tones and physical techniques of using real fire and ice in the creative process, the children’s interpretations were bold, dynamic, and deeply expressive. This year’s Artist of the Year was TD, a Junior Toddler, whose piece A Perfect Harmony was created through fingerpainting—blending the rich warmth of red paint with the cool calm of blue to embody the balance between opposites.

  In 2026, our theme Round and Round We Go – Full Circle invited the children to explore movement, continuity, and connection through the language of art. We embraced the idea that learning is a cyclical journey—where ideas return, deepen, and evolve over time. Through spirals, loops, arcs, and circular forms, the children investigated rotation, rhythm, and repetition.  This year’s Artist of the Year was MP, a 28-month-old from our Senior Toddler Room, whose piece The Dancing Lady beautifully captured the poetry of movement within a circular form. With sweeping strokes and layered textures, MP’s creation embodied the joy of motion and the elegance of coming full circle.

 The creativity doesn’t stop here! Stay tuned for our 2027 Art Exhibition next February—our young artists are already dreaming, creating, and preparing to surprise us all once again.