Press Releases
ARTEFFECT Gallery at D.C.’s Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream Showcases Talents of Over 40 Young Artists
January 12, 2026
View the Online Exhibition: https://bit.ly/ARTEFFECT-Visualizing-Impact
Download List of Featured Young Artists
Santa Monica, Calif. – A rich tapestry marking the courage of an American Revolutionary War heroine … a striking portrait of Hollywood actor and inventor Hedy Lamarr … and an elaborate, 3D multimedia book honoring the father of algebra … all created by students in grades 6-12. These are among the 43 stunning artworks on display at the Lowell Milken Family Foundation’s permanent, 3,000-square-foot ARTEFFECT Gallery on the fifth floor of the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD) in Washington, D.C.—a newly minted Best New Museum by USA Today’s 10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards.
The inaugural exhibition titled Visualizing Impact includes visual artworks, text panels, and short films that celebrate the inspiring stories of Unsung Heroes—role models, largely unrecognized by society, who demonstrated heroic character traits such as courage, selflessness, and perseverance and took extraordinary actions in service to others that made a positive and profound impact on the course of history.
Founded by Lowell Milken in 2016, ARTEFFECT fosters reflection on the invaluable contributions of these Unsung Heroes through the creation of original visual art. ARTEFFECT offerings include an annual international art competition for middle and secondary school students, museum exhibitions, and the ARTEFFECT Ambassadors program—a prestigious visual arts fellowship for educators, online professional development sessions, and educational resources for championing the stories of Unsung Heroes through the visual arts.
“Celebrating the qualities of character embodied in the Unsung Heroes motivates younger generations to aspire to values essential during the challenging times we face as a nation and as a worldwide community,” said LMC and ARTEFFECT Founder Lowell Milken. “ARTEFFECT provides powerful opportunities to promote these values to students in schools.”
The young artists featured in the exhibition interpreted the stories of Unsung Heroes through creating original artworks, writing impact statements, and sharing their projects with their classrooms and communities. They chose their subjects from ARTEFFECT’s expanding directory of over 100 diverse individuals spanning centuries and all fields of endeavor. The stories were unearthed and developed through project-based learning activities and the Discovery Award at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes (LMC).
Visualizing Impact showcases award-winning ARTEFFECT artworks created by students in grades 6-12 over the last decade from the United States and other countries. Artworks on view span a range of media—including painting, drawing, sculpture, and collage—and encompass diverse artistic expressions, from narrative to conceptual styles. The exhibition explores the powerful stories of Unsung Heroes through thematic groups: Freedom, Justice, Remembering the Holocaust, Wartime Unsung Heroes, Women in STEAM, Innovation and New Technologies, and Medical Breakthroughs. The gallery will present new ARTEFFECT projects on an annual basis.
“The exhibition spotlights the transformative power of the visual arts through the artworks and the artists’ reflections,” said ARTEFFECT Executive Director Dr. Toni Guglielmo. “As young artists investigate the stories of these Unsung Heroes, they discover their own potential to make a difference and the capacity of their artmaking to inspire positive change within their communities.”
Visitors enter the exhibition through a multimedia threshold that introduces the concept of Unsung Heroes and their heroic character traits and actions. In the art gallery, each artwork is accompanied by a short biography about the depicted Unsung Hero and an excerpt from the artist’s impact statement. The gallery also includes a theater featuring short films on Unsung Heroes including Irena Sendler and the founding story of LMC, Sylvia Mendez, and the transformative experiences of students and educators who have engaged with LMC projects. An interactive coming soon will allow them to send a digital postcard acknowledging an everyday hero in their lives.
The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD), a cultural institution and part of the Milken Institute, is dedicated to illuminating pathways to opportunity for all individuals to pursue a life of meaning and fulfillment. Located in historic buildings in Washington, D.C., steps from the White House, the Center’s mission is to advance economic and social mobility for people in America and around the world through four pillars - Health, Education, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Empowerment. Admission to MCAAD and the ARTEFFECT gallery is free, and reserving tickets in advance is encouraged. School and community groups can coordinate a self-guided visit to ARTEFFECT with MCAAD Education at https://www.mcaad.org/visit/group-visit.
To learn more about ARTEFFECT, visit the website at www.arteffectlmc.org. Connect with ARTEFFECT on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. Interested educators are welcome to join the ARTEFFECT art educators Facebook group.
About the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes
Established in 2007 by Lowell Milken, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes (LMC) discovers, develops, and celebrates the stories of Unsung Heroes who have made a profound and positive impact on history, yet are largely unrecognized by contemporary generations. LMC has reached over 3,000,000 students in all 50 states and countries around the world. To learn more about LMC, visit Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes.
About the Lowell Milken Family Foundation
The Lowell Milken Family Foundation (LMFF) strengthens communities by unleashing human potential—investing in people and ideas across education, innovation, arts & culture, and social capital. We design, pilot, and scale initiatives that elevate educator excellence and student learning; develop principled leaders and entrepreneurs; preserve, advance and share cultural heritage; and foster civic values—so people of all ages gain the skills, knowledge, and meaningful experiences to lead productive, satisfying lives.
To learn more about LMFF, visit LowellMilken.com.