Welcome to our virtual art exhibition!

To celebrate this year's National Stuttering Awareness Week, the University of Michigan Speech Neurophysiology Lab encouraged young artists to submit their best work for the Art of Stuttering Contest and Exhibition. 

We hope you enjoy the artwork of these talented artists and find their thoughts about creativity, stuttering, and living a happy life meaningful.

First Place Winner

Makayla, Age 9

"My art shows how I struggle with my stuttering, but also how I get back up and stay confident."

Second Place Winner (Tie)

Lila, Age 10

"My name is Lila, and I’m 10 years old. I love to play softball, basketball, and volleyball. I like hanging out with my friends and traveling with my family. Don’t let stuttering stop you from doing the things that you love!"

Second Place Winner (Tie)

Nathan, Age 11

Honorable Mentions

Roxie, Age 15

"Stuttering is hard to live with. It can make me feel embarrassed, anxious, or dumb. That is why I created this house as a safe space, encompassing all of the things that I love and the people that support me. This artwork showcases the pillars in my community that have helped me: Camp Lutherlyn, The Ellis School, and Bryan Rust with Friends: The National Association of Young People who Stutter.

Every year I go to Lutherlyn to dig at their archaeological site. My miniature house is inspired by ice fishing huts, but instead of being over a body of water, it is over a model of Lutherlyn’s archaeological site. The floor of the house is made from glass which not only shows the artifacts underneath the floor but also reveals that there is so much more to a person who stutters than what can be seen or heard. For the artifacts, I used inspiration from what I have seen at Lutherlyn’s archaeological site like a burn pit with bones, German pottery, nails, and bricks. There are also tools including a trowel, a brush, and a sifter.

The house itself is made out of gingerbread. I chose this material because the smell of fresh gingerbread brings me comfort and joy, and if I could, I would live in a house made entirely out of it. Inside the house is a bookshelf that has a door opening  into Lutherlyn, so that I can go on adventures anytime I want. On this bookshelf is a photo of me digging at Lutherlyn. There is a signed photo of Bryan Rust that I got through the Friends Who Stutter Foundation, which gave me the amazing opportunity to attend a Penguins game and ask Bryan Rust questions about stuttering. One of the questions I asked him was about how his speech changed during his teenage years. I asked him this because I have noticed a change in what sounds I struggle with as I have gotten older. He shared that it was the same case for him: when he became a teenager, his stutter changed.  

I have also included my school's uniform plaid as a pillow to recognize all the support that I have from my friends and teachers at The Ellis School. This is a symbolic representation of how, despite my stutter, I am equally heard and seen in my community.

Please enjoy my miniature escape."

Sierra, Age 9

"When I grow up, I want to become a singer. Sometimes when I talk I feel embarrassed, but when I sing I don’t stutter, and I feel brave!"

Serenity, Age 10

"When I grow up I want to be a singer. It makes me feel happy."