Children are a constant in Wardell Picquet’s life. The teacher, artist and father slips from one story to the next as we talk in a Faubourg Marigny coffee shop – the antics of his students at McDonogh 15, the joys of his daughter, Brandon-Marie, his thoughts on the way we all impact the children around us. Picquet worries. Like many of us, he wonders if contemporary youngsters are in as precarious a place as they seem. He wonders about the future. "One day I’m going to be old and feeble," he says, with a half smile. "These kids are going to be running the society … what will that mean for me?"

  The 32-year-old funnels his concerns into his artwork. His current show, titled Persistence of Innocence, is up in the gallery at BAND (Black Arts National Diaspora). Picquet says the 30 pieces – each a collage of abstract imagery, vibrant color, silhouettes of children, and stamps of Adinkra symbols – revolve around the relationship between children and the larger world around them and how they influence and impact each other. "The concept I’m dealing with is a circular thing," says Picquet. "Whatever you do, [children are] going to pick up on. They grow up, become part of the society that influences the next generation."

  Picquet is a teacher with Arts Connection, a program in Orleans Parish schools that uses art to reinforce concepts being taught in other classes. In his rambunctious students, ranging from second to sixth graders, Picquet often sees what he believes to be the negative side effects of the lessons young people are taught on the other side of classroom walls. "I’m seeing the really short attention spans," he points out. "And ‘me-ism,’ rampant commercialism, consumerism and, always, the demand for instant gratification."

  In spite of his worries, Picquet’s imagery in the art that makes up the Persistence of Innocence show is mostly positive. "I’m talking about some of the natural, good qualities [children are] born with," he says of the collection of monotypes and mixed media works. "I’m hoping people leave the show thinking ‘That’s good … I want [children] to keep this.’"

  The effort to leave viewers feeling hopeful was very purposeful for Picquet, who is trying to provide a counterpoint to the emotions evoked by his previous show – Influence – which also dealt with children. "Someone came up to me after the last show," he recalls, "and said, ‘These are some very beautiful images of some very horrible things.’ So I wanted to do something positive here."

  If Picquet hadn’t worked to overcome some negative influences himself, there would be no show at BAND or anywhere else. After studying art and design at Xavier University under the tutelage of renowned artist John Scott, Picquet pushed his art and an artist’s life to the back burner. He worked as a graphic designer for several years and dabbled in art during his free time. Then, a little over a year ago, he did some soul searching. "I decided I didn’t want to do the nine-to-five thing with art on the side," he recalls. "I realized that – and this made me furious – that most of the things I thought about being an artist were myths perpetuated by society. That art is not a legitimate profession, that art is just for play. I decided I’m going to be an artist and I’m going to stand for an example of an artist, especially for kids, especially for African-American kids."

  Which is how Picquet ended up in a classroom for the first time this February. Throughout college, he’d resisted the idea of teaching, and only recently had a change of heart. In addition to his work as an Art Connection teacher, Picquet also works with a weekend supplemental education program called KidsmArt that exposes young people at Guste Elementary to art. "I started thinking about what was going on with kids," he says. "I’m seeing these things and saying what should be done. But instead of saying somebody else should do something, I should do something."