The City Gallery on State Street filled up Wednesday evening for a gallery opening-- fully equipped with music, food, and art. The only difference between a typical gallery opening and this one? The artists are under the age of 12.

“It's pretty cool because we've been working on this art for a very long time, and they're finally in the gallery,” 10-year-old Salina Katel told Erie News Now as she showed off her work.

These kids are part of the Dafmark Creative Arts Center's program for city youth, particularly those living in public housing on Erie’s east side.

It's an after school escape focusing on creative education. Statistically, students with art education have higher GPA’s and lower dropout rates. So, that's just one reason Dafmark Creative Arts Center tells us they work to give access to creative education to everyone.

“Having access to arts education increases the likelihood that a student is going to graduate. It increases the likelihood that they're going to vote and become a participatory member of society. They may or may not end up being artists, but it is so amazing the benefits there through all of the arts,” Dafmark Dance Theater General Manager, Jennifer Dennehy, said.

Students aren't just learning about art, but also business.

“I did this one,” Salina points out one of her paintings on display, “And, the red dot means it sold."

Everything about this gallery opening is authentic, including the price tags. Half the proceeds paid for the paintings go to back to the art center while the other half go straight to the student.

“It's an opportunity to teach them about entrepreneurship and that everything that comes in is not necessarily what you make-- that there's a cost of materials, so we've had those conversations. It's about teaching them to run a business a little bit as well,” said Dennehy.

It’s an exciting time for these young artists, as their hard work is rewarded.

“This makes me just really happy and proud of myself," said Salina.