Lanesboro Arts is proud to present the Annual Juried High School Art Show, showcasing artworks by 9-12th grade students from Chatfield, Fillmore Central, Lanesboro, and Rushford-Peterson High Schools. The show opens with a reception on Saturday, January 11 from 5-7 p.m., which is a fun opportunity to meet, and ask questions of, student artists and teachers from these schools. The show runs through January 25, 2020. Always free and open to the public, gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in January. The show features a variety of art projects, including those in ceramics, acrylics, pastels, ink, pencil, and mixed media sculpture.
“I love this show because it presents an opportunity for students’ visual arts to shine. As a teacher, I appreciate the ability of Lanesboro Arts to provide a place to showcase these young creators work,” shares Lanesboro art teacher Stena Lieb. “I enjoy seeing work by students from other schools as well. When my students come to the show, they can see a wide variety of what their peers are doing in other schools. They may get more ideas and become interested in different processes that we have not covered in our classes. It is a great way to start a conversation on a topic we have yet to explore.”
According to Gallery Director Robbie Brokken, “The Art Show gives the students an opportunity to reveal a part of themselves to the public and each other through their art. Attendance and support of area families has been overwhelming and helps share our commitment to the community.”
“I always try to push this as a big stepping stone and great experience,” says Fillmore Central art teacher Carrie Mathison. “We always look at it (art show) as a very big honor for them.” Mathison, who’s in her ninth year at Fillmore Central, says there’s a special connection and appreciation shared by the talented teens. “They like to see the variety of work from other schools as well,” she added. “There’s just kind of an awe and admiration at the same point.”
“To me, the show is really about supporting the arts in the schools and collaborating with the other teachers,” shares Chatfield art instructor Abbey Potter. “The opening reception gives me the opportunity to catch up with the other teachers from the surrounding schools and ask about how they came up with ‘this’ or ‘that’ for their projects. I leave with a lot of great ideas for future projects or techniques to try with my students. The reception also gives me a chance to meet students’ parents, talk with them and their child about all of the artwork on display, and most rewarding, see the excited look on the student’s face when they view their piece framed, correctly lit and hanging on a gallery wall.”