The Stewart Gallery at the Grinnell Arts Center is now hosting the annual art exhibition of the Grinnell-Newburg middle and high schools.
The exhibition opened on Thursday, Feb. 4, and high school art teacher Janet Ahrens explained the planning behind the gallery.
This year’s collection includes visual works such as drawing and photography, which have been gathered from the schools’ first two trimesters. The upcoming final trimester will build students’ skills in sculpture. The exhibition includes works from both beginning and advanced middle and high school classes.
“I always try to show as many students’ work as possible because it’s so uplifting and good for the community,” Ahrens said. “Sometimes for some students, it’s just a morale boost. They have some talent but they need a direction.”
The exhibition includes the works of the 2016 Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards winners. With Ahrens were her student nominees, whose works will be digitized and published on Scholastic’s website. After approval by a jury, their awards include Gold Keys, Silver Keys and Honorable Mentions.
Among the Scholastic Award winners is Franziska Paula, a high school senior from Germany. Drawn to photography, she said that her school in Germany does not offer a class on photography.
Also showcasing their work are two of Ahrens’ advanced photography students, Cecilia Mitchell and Malia Durr, have been inducted into the National Honors Society for their photos.
“[Mitchell and Durr] have been recognized beyond the community,” Ahrens said about their involvement in the arts.
Mitchell, a senior at Grinnell-Newburg High School, plans to study design in college.
“I see art as the best form of communication. Every form of art, whether it be dance, theatre, visual art or music, is used to convey a message to an audience,” she wrote in the artist statement accompanying her photos. “I’m thrilled to pursue a future where I can continue to create art for myself and with others.”
Durr’s work includes portraiture, a theme she has been developing. Having worked with family members and friends, she seeks to capture the emotion of her models front-and-center.
The exhibition’s closing ceremony will be on Feb. 25 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Ahrens and Grinnell-Newburg Middle School art teacher Josh Wardenburg will accompany their students at the exhibition’s closing. In addition, another closing awards ceremony will be held at Simpson College at the end of February.
