Students at Desert Sands Community School in Ashcroft have produced some superb artwork throughout the year; and community members will have an opportunity to view many of the pieces at the “Showcase of Student Work”, which runs from May 19 to 25.
Teacher Brent Close says that this year’s showcase will be a little different from previous years, as it will include work by elementary and middle school students as well as high schoolers. “It will be school-wide, and hopefully will have more of a community feel to it.”
Close says there are some very strong young artists currently in grades eight and nine, and that there will be a wide variety of media on display. “There’ll be 2-D formats such as drawing, painting, and etching, and 3-D formats like found object sculptures, clay, and carving.” Print-making was, he said, very popular with several students, as was working with clay, although he admits that there was no middle ground there: “Students either loved it or hated it.”
He says that changes to the school’s schedule after it became a K–12 facility have worked in art’s favour. “Almost all the electives are in the afternoon, and we’ve gone from a semester to trimester system,” he explains. “Instead of having art for one hour a day for half a year, students have art for two hours a day for a third of a year.” It means that much more can be accomplished in each class, which benefits the students.
Close is looking forward to the show, which starts at DSCS on Thursday, May 19 and runs from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.; it will be open during school hours from May 20 to 25. “It’s a chance for the students to showcase their work and for the public to see what they’re doing,” he says, noting that three students had artwork on display at the Ashcroft Art Club show in April.
Several of the artists will be there on opening night to talk about their work. “We’d love to have the community come out,” says Close, “whether or not they have children or grandchildren at the school.”