Beginning on Sunday, the IU Art Museum and Ivy Tech John Waldron Gallery Arts Center will open their gallery spaces to celebrate the work of these young ?artists.
Selected students from throughout the Monroe County Community School Corporation will show ?pieces made in their art classes.
As Curator of Education for the IU Art Museum, Ed Maxedon works closely with the MCCSC on displaying the works of kindergarten to sixth grade students.
“We basically put on about a hundred or so K-six student exhibitions,” Maxedon said. “In a sense, this exhibition is a reflection of the high quality, the wide diversity of our area school art programs. We should all be enormously proud.”
Julie Roberts, gallery director for the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center, handles the seventh grade through 12th grade exhibit.
“There are approximately 300 pieces of art displayed on three floors of galleries throughout the building,” Roberts said. “The ?technical skills of these teens have to be seen to be believed. Every year, visitors literally gasp when they see the grade level the artists are in on the art labels.”
Through her work as an art teacher for the past 29 years, Cheryl Maxwell has worked frequently with the John Waldron and IU Art Museum in organizing these shows.
Maxwell said when she first started teaching in the school system, the venues for the youth art show were ever-changing.
“We would have to try and find a venue every two years or so because we kept outgrowing it,” Maxwell said. “Finally we ended up going to Ivy Tech and we used to do a K-12 show, which was nearly ?unmanageable.”
Eventually, the show was split into two sections.
The elementary school portion would be at the IU Art Museum and the John Waldron would display the junior high through high school pieces.
Regardless of the once frantic search for a location, Maxwell said the show always delivered on its promise of praising young artists and inducting them into the league of artistic talent ?present in Bloomington.
“They know we think they’re good,” Maxwell said. “Having a connection to the University and to people in the city, they get a bigger awareness of, one, what kind of art is created, and also they understand that they’re part of the continuum of art making. It makes them feel really connected to that whole art ?experience.”
Maxedon said introducing artists to the experience of showing in galleries will lead to further inspiration as they continue on their ?creative paths.
“Encourage them to get into the museum, get them involved in the visual arts,” Maxedon said. “Nothing can give you the experience like the visual arts can. It’s a window into the world. It’s interdisciplinary. It entices us where we live.”
To commemorate 20 years of partnership between MCCSC and the IU Art Museum, Maxedon said there will be an opening ?reception.
The reception will begin at 11:30 a.m. March 7 at the IU Art Museum.
“I don’t think any of us ever thought we would be able to continue at the museum,” Maxwell said. “It is just an amazing thing for us to come and bring our student work and be accepted in that way.”
Roberts said fostering creative freedom and awareness has a positive effect on children as they grow up and enter higher education.
“Studies show conclusively that children who study the arts — not just visual art, but performing arts and music as well — are more flexible thinkers, stay in school longer and do better academically than children who are deprived of such opportunities,” ?Roberts said.
Roberts encouraged anyone looking for a diverse artistic experience to pay a visit to the John Waldron.
“Anyone who needs a dose of color, sparkle, variety and wit should come out to see this show,” Roberts said. “After the winter we have had the last few weeks, I believe that is just about everyone.”
