More than 230 pieces of art by students from nine local counties are on display at Maumee Valley Country Day School (MVCDS) from now until April 30.
“The purpose of the show is to honor and share the talents of our young artists in our community,” said LouAnn Glover, the exhibit’s coordinator. “The art works are colorful, reflective, creative thinking and are well-crafted. The artists and their families are so proud to see their work displayed in a gallery. It is joyful.”
For the past 36 years, the Northwest Ohio Art Education Association (NWOAEA) has hosted a regional art exhibit for students in grades K-8. The venue changes over the years and this year MVCDS, 1715 S. Reynolds Road, is sponsoring the 2015 Northwest Ohio Regional Youth Art Month Show in its Wolfe Gallery.
Organizers said the exhibit will draw hundreds of visitors to the campus of MVCDS. Patrons can expect to see colorful drawings in pencil and paints, fabrics, self-portraits and animals.
“Young students from across Northwest Ohio submitted colorful designs and prints, charming portraits, and dramatic landscapes. [There are] sculptures exploring faces, figures and animals to drawings inspired by cultures, history and imaginations,” according to a news release.
Art teachers selected the art work for display. Students created the art in their classrooms, although not specifically for this exhibit.
Art teacher Ani Geha of Whiteford Elementary in the Sylvania School District selected eight pieces of artwork from a pool of 500 students. Choosing submissions was a challenge due to so many worthy pieces, she said.
“I tried to mix it up,” Geha said of the process she used to whittle down her selections. “I tried to get a representation of boys and girls and every grade.”
Fifth-grader MaKenze Blackburn used oil pastels to create “Scream,” a replica of “The Scream” by Edvard Munch in 1893. Blackburn learned about Munch and his painting while creating her version in Geha’s class. Students also learned about cultural references to “The Scream,” including the movie “Scream” and scream emojis, Geha said.
“They began using oil pastels in kindergarten and every year they’ve used them,” Geha said. “It’s a hard media to work with. They are messy but they blend so you can mix them.”
Geha has been teaching for 12 years — 11 at St. Joseph Catholic School in Sylvania and this past year, her first at Whiteford Elementary.
“It’s a great community of art teachers and they all give a helping hand to the show,” Geha said. “On the day (art teachers) dropped off their art (to the Wolfe Gallery), we all helped hang it.”
The NWOAEA is part of the Ohio Art Education Association, a professional development group for art educators, Glover said. The group organizes a state conference every year for art teachers.
MVCDS’ Wolfe gallery hosts this exhibit every other year. Last year the show was held at the Perrysburg Board of Education building and next year it will be held at Defiance College.
It also hosts a variety of professional artist and student shows.
The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
