The gathering signaled an end to a long winter and blew open the doors for spring. On a sun-filled day, a crowd of kids and adoring adults wove through the Southern Vermont Arts Center’s Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum for the opening of the annual Art from the Schools Exhibit.
“This display always feels like a celebration,” said Amy Harris, Sunderland Elementary and Mettawee Community School art teacher. “Seeing the work and creativity of all our young artists and witnessing their pride and excitement as they move through the show makes this day one to remember.”
Sunderland, Mettawee, and all the Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union schools are part of a total of 30 local educational institutions displaying artwork this spring at the SVAC. The exhibit opened with the public reception on Saturday, April 27th and runs through Sunday, May 26th.
The artists range from nursery schoolers to seniors just weeks from graduation. many on their way to art school. “One benefit of this show is the concentration of art from where they start at an early age to how it evolves through high school,” said one reception attendee. “Often kids express themselves best through art, so there’s much to absorb at this exhibit.”
Colorful work covers nearly every square inch of wall space and more at the Wilson Museum, including hallways and staircases. Paintings, drawings, ceramics, murals, collages, self-portraits, geometric designs, sculptures, photographs, and much more can be found.
“Every student brings their own unique talent to art,” said Manchester Elementary Middle School art teacher Sara Hoffman. “You can give a child a pencil to draw and they might freeze. Give that same child a ball of yarn and a paper plate and they will create a three-dimensional sculpture.”
Students from the Flood Brook School (FBS) created a unique display that requires lights out for its magic to be revealed. In a small conference room the shades were drawn and the overhead lights turned off. A table in the center of the room was aglow with battery-lit lanterns made from glass, wood, paper, paints and other materials. Off to one side the students had built-to-scale an apartment building with lighted rooms showing miniature furnishings, remarkable in their tiny perfection.
“This year our students have worked with light, multiple materials, and color to create art that is soothing for the soul,” said FBS art teacher Maria French. “The kids hope that when you walk in this room and shut the door, you will be able to simply relax and enjoy the moment.”
Come enjoy the moment: A message from all the young artists who created Art from the Schools.
Ceramic sculptures and plaster hands from the young artists from Manchester Elementary Middles School.
A Mettawee fifth grader points proudly towards his colorful trout on the wall at Art from the Schools.
A colorful wall of art from The Dorset School greets visitors near the entrance to Art from the Schools.
Magical lanterns from the Flood Brook School illuminate the darkened conference room at the Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum at the Southern Vermont Arts Center.
Artists from Sunderland Elementary showcase Chinese dragons, bears, owls and snowy days.
Currier 4th graders showcase a school of swimming fish at Art from the Schools.