Opening this Saturday at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery is Art’s Alive and Well in the Schools: 49 Years of Youthful Creativity.
The exhibit is a cherished tradition honouring the artistic endeavours of K-12 students from across the Lethbridge area, now entering its 49th year.
It’s estimated nearly 17,000 pieces of student art have been exhibited in this program over the decades.
This exhibition is organized by the Lethbridge School Division, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit School Division and École La Vérendrye.
Jacobi Smigel from the Lethbridge School Division said the exhibit features 166 pieces this year. “It comes from all of the high schools and a couple of junior highs with Grade 9 students.”
Students work on the art, and the art teachers support them and encourage them, while each school is allowed so many pieces in the exhibit, Smigel noted. “They bring the art pieces to the gallery, and we get to celebrate the wonderful art and the creativity.”
A lot of people in the community tell Smigel they were a part of the annual exhibit when they were in school.
“That their art was in the gallery. I know it’s a big deal for students to showcase their artwork to the community in this way,” Smigel added.
To coincide with the art pieces in the gallery, there’s also a digital gallery with artwork submitted from Kindergarten to Grade 12 students.
“This year, we had a record number 301 submissions. It’s on the Lethbridge School Division website. Right now, you can vote for your favourite piece,” said Smigel.
Curator and Exhibitions Manager Adam Whitford noted a Grade 12 student participant from last year’s exhibit was able to gain experience towards a career in the arts. “She was part of the public art mentorship at the downtown bus station. She was mentored by a mural artist. They both did murals in the downtown bus station.”
The Arts Alive and Well in the Schools exhibit is the gallery’s longest running program, Whitford said. “We get to see what all the K-12 students have been working hard on all year and see all the talented artists that are in our city.”
The exhibit runs until June 13.
