NORWICH – Art teachers and students in the Norwich City School District will be taking advantage of vacant city storefronts for the use of the first Norwich City Youth Art Walk from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday.

The Youth Art Walk is a competition in which art students from Gibson Primary, Perry Browne Elementary, and the Norwich Middle and High Schools show off their work in the windows of empty storefronts in the downtown area. Spectators and local passersby will be able to vote on their favorite works from each city school and place their votes in ballot boxes at participating merchants.

“As Visual Art Educators, the importance of sharing student work with the public is paramount with the community known for its support of the visual arts,” said Norwich High School art teacher Wayne Franklin in a letter seeking support from the Norwich Merchants Association.

The Youth Art Walk will continue on the first Friday of April, May and June with event hours possibly extending as daylight permits. While it’s a small operation this year, applicable only to schools in the city district, ambitions are to include other Chenango County districts in the future, Franklin said.