Spotlight on Student Artwork

By KATE SNYDER

Community Arts Center

The Community Arts Center’s annual Student Showcase makes its 2018 debut next week. Each year, the Arts Center partners with the Arts Commission of Danville/Boyle County and art teachers from throughout Boyle County to showcase artwork by hundreds of local students.

This year, for the first time, the Student Showcase exhibit will also include artwork by Centre College art students. The Centre College show will be housed in the Grand Hall on the first floor of the Arts Center. 

Creative Director Brandon Long says he is excited to include work by the college students in the exhibit. 

“This is a great opportunity for the community to see the amazing work they’ve been creating just a few blocks away from the Arts Center.  It also gives the school children in the Youth Art Fair upstairs a chance to see the promise of what lies ahead if they continue to pursue the path of being an artist.”

The second floor of the Arts Center will feature the Youth Art Fair, organized by the Arts Commission of Danville/Boyle County in collaboration with the Danville Independent School District, Boyle County Schools, Kentucky School for the Deaf and Danville Christian Academy. 

Since 2002, the Arts Commission has coordinated this opportunity for local students to exhibit their work to the community.  Originally held in Millennium Park, then in local school gyms or foyers, and now at the Community Arts Center, the Youth Art Fair continues to attract hundreds of school-aged participants and even more spectators.

The Boyle County 4-H Council supports the Youth Art Fair by providing materials to students in both the Danville and Boyle County school districts.

This year’s Youth Art Fair includes a display of “pour art” pieces created by students at Danville High School. Pour art is an abstract art style that is popular nationally right now. The act of pouring paint – as an alternative to applying it with a brush – came about during the American Abstract Expressionism movement, a time when artists were becoming more interested in capturing the nature of paint when used as an expressive tool. These artists often weren’t trying to create realistic images (or even images at all), but were interested in capturing moments of inspiration. 

Although more likely to drip or spatter his paint than to pour it, Jackson Pollock is one well-known artist whose work can be seen as a precursor to the modern artistic genre of pour painting.

DHS students have explored the pour painting technique throughout the year, thanks to a grant from the Arts Commission that covered their materials. High school art teacher Shelly Stinnett said students in the school’s special education classrooms and alternative classrooms were also able to participate in the project due to its individualized techniques that are accessible to students with a range of abilities.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, with refreshments provided by the Boyle County 4-H Council. The reception is free and open to the public. The Student Showcase will be on exhibit through March 27.

IF YOU GO 

An opening reception for the Student Showcase will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday at the Community Arts Center. The showcase will be up through March 27. 

SO YOU KNOW

Registration is open for the Arts Center’s 2018 summer art camps. The 2018 lineup includes 12 camps spread over eight weeks, with programming available for preschool, elementary, and middle school students. Full details and online registration can be found at www.communityartscenter.net/camp.

COMING UP

• Ceramic Garden Accessories, 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 7 and 14, for ages 7+ (adults welcome), cost is $40 

• Kids Concert with Evan and Vanessa, 11 a.m. March 10; free but donations accepted 

• Peg People Workshop, 3:30-5:30 p.m. March 15, instructed by Brandon Long, for second-sixth grades, cost is $25

• Night at the Museum, March 16-17; drop-off at 6:30 p.m. March 16/pickup at 8:30 a.m. March 17, for second-sixth grades, cost is $40 

• SNS – Blue Dog, inspired by George Rodrigue, 2-4 p.m. March 17, instructed by Michell Guo, cost is $28

Registration/more information: www.communityartscenter.net.