Opening Night Gala Celebrates 500+ Student Artists
A student gets the perfect angle for a selfie with his artwork at the DMPS Art Exhibit.
The annual art exhibit downtown in the atrium at Capital Square may be the only event that brings all of the district’s schools together in the same place at the same time. That in itself is a masterpiece of organization. So first of all, kudos to the sponsoring DMPS Foundation, event coordinator Sarah Dougherty and the 67 instructors responsible for the 530 students whose work will be on display through February 24th.
Dougherty is almost-any-day-now pregnant, but first she delivered on promised enhancements for the event before devoting herself to her own personal creation.
For example, last year a few school banners hung from the railings a floor above the gallery space. Dougherty liked the look of them and envisioned one from every school. And voila, there they were last night at the artists’ reception, like slats in a colorful fence surrounding the collected works of students from K-12, selected by their teachers for public display.
And the exhibition is more interactive this year in a couple of ways.
First, there are looms where visitors are invited to weave contributions to a piece destined for the new central office space the district headquarters will move to in the spring.
Also new this year are viewers’ choice ballot boxes where patrons can vote for their favorite elementary and secondary pieces. The winners’ schools will receive the looms as prizes in the artists’ names.
In lieu of champagne and hors d’ oeuvres onlookers at this gala opening strolled among the display boards munching on cookies and sipping on soft drinks. Upstairs the Lincoln High jazz band took it away after opening remarks by Dougherty and School Board President Cindy Elsbernd set the tone for the evening and the rest of the run through next Tuesday.
After that the museum will pack up and go back to school. Now’s your chance for a free peek at talent that’s growing all over town.
