The creators of tomorrow are again having the opportunity to present their pieces in a professional setting through the Gallery in the Park Student Art Show running through Saturday, May 10th in Altona. Students from W.C. Miller Collegiate, Mennonite Collegiate Institute in Gretna and Morden Collegiate have works installed inside the Schwartz House.
One of those is Miller Grade 12 student Aivery Schellenberg who has entered a piece for the first time, an acrylic painting titled "The Battle of the Mind".
"I chose the two words 'loud' and 'quiet', and to me that really balances out the mind, at least how my mind works," explained Schellenberg who shared the piece showcases the "paint pour" technique. "The loud is overtaking the quiet, because I feel a lot of the time that happens with everyone, where the loud just becomes everything, and you can't quiet your brain. So, it's overtaking the quiet because that represents what it is in nature."
Classmate and Grade 12 student Carly Dueck is also a first time exhibitor with her acrylic "Charged Static".
"The words that I used for it are 'energetic' and 'calm', which on one side it's blue and lighter shades and more calm to bring out how different they are," she explained. "On the other side, for energetic, I used more bright colours, like red and orange and yellows, to see how different it is and how much louder it is, Then I used a star because of the all the points on it, and how they dance sometimes so it makes them more energetic."
A professional exhibiting opportunity
Jill Ferris is the Art Teacher at W.C. Miller Collegiate, and says this annual opportunity is really important to the students.
"I always appreciate the fact the Gallery gives us this opportunity, and they've opened it up to everybody in the Pembina Valley," she shared. "It's always awesome to see what every school is doing, and what kinds of like topics they're exploring, and then the kids get the opportunity to see what other students are doing in another community."
Ferris feels this year's show is very diverse and eclectic, and believes attendees will be quite impressed with the level of skill on display.
Art is therapy
Over the years, we've heard a lot of students share at the art show how creating, no matter the medium, is a form of therapy and good for their mental well-being.
"Yes, most definitely," said Schellenberg enthusiastically. "I feel having a creative outlet is therapy. It's very therapeutic. You're just able to put all of those emotions you can't say out loud onto something that you can express yourself that way, so you don't have to say it out loud. When I was creating this piece, it was like 'Whoa' how much came to me all of a sudden. I can relate to this so much more than I expected."
"I see it the same way, because there's no time when you can't pick up a pencil and draw something, as long as you have what you need and memories, you can just jot stuff down, it's so easy," offered Dueck.
Both students are graduating in June, and indicated they are planning on continuing to create after school, something that brought a smile to their teacher's face.
"I was very proud of them that they're going to continue, because I think it allows them to express themselves," said Ferris. "Even if it's just a hobby, and it's not post-secondary, that's totally fine. Just the fact they need it in their life to express themselves, I think that's wonderful."
This is the 12th annual Student Art Show at Gallery in the Park with a mix of paintings, drawings, mosaics and mixed media on display. Students helped curate the show, and will welcome guests to the gallery each day.
You can listen to the conversation with Aivery, Carly and Jill, below.