By Sue Bergstrom for VCN –
Between five pm and seven pm on Friday, March 27th, one Valdez parking lot was not only full of vehicles but full of people scurrying back and forth through the rain between Valdez Museum and Historical Archives and Valdez Consortium Library to pore over displays of art that included huge insects, sparkling snowflakes, photos of wild flowers, abstract sculpture, pen and ink sketches and multi-media depictions of dog sleds.
Every year the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive gives Valdez students a chance to display their talent in a student art show. This popular event features the works of Valdez student artists from pre-school through college. It offers students the opportunity to display their work at the museum, and to understand the value of making. This year’s show began March 20th and will be on display through May 3rd. An opening celebration featuring refreshments was held on March 27th with more than sixty-five people in attendance, including the artists and their families.
A drawing for art supplies was a new feature this year. Another addition was three student artist interviewers and photographers, Madeline O’Neil, Clayton Gondek and Calvin Gondek, who circulated through the crowd documenting the reactions and comments of contributors; what inspired them to make art and why they entered it into the show. When asked why she had entered her art in the show, ten-year-old Madeline responded, “everyone should see art and see the creative stuff.” The three volunteers were awarded art supplies for their help.
The winner of the drawing was seventh grader Andrew Bradley whose submission was a large than life lady bug, which was made in part from a red buoy. His submission was one of forty-nine insects created by Mary Warner’s science class. They ‘infested’ the museum commons, hanging from the ceiling, mounted on the walls and perching on surfaces throughout the exhibit.
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A facet of this year’s exhibit was art inspired by Call of the Wild as part of the Valdez Big Read, held in partnership by Valdez Museum and Historical Archive, Valdez Consortium Library, SPACE (Science, Physical, Academic and Cultural Enrichment) and KCHU Public Radio. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.
The art on display was in a great number of different media. High school students displayed digital photography, pen and ink on paper, acrylics on canvas and collaborated on poured paint pieces.
Herman Hutchins students also collaborated, making a large paper banner filled with butterflies which hung from the second floor rail in the library. They created watercolor flowers and wrote poems about snow illustrated with sparkling snowflakes. They also made a type of metal-work called repousse, in which a design is made in relief on a thin sheet of metal by hammering it from the reverse side, and large-scale carved wooden spoons.
