Arts Center celebrates Youth Art Month

Published 6:11 pm Saturday, March 4, 2017

We really do have some extraordinary artistic talent in Colquitt County. Not only is this artistic talent flourishing at the Arts Center but our school art teachers — Alisha Montgomery, Candy Clements and Whitney Pitts — are doing an amazing job of nurturing and growing some very talented artists.

This past Thursday, March 2nd, we opened the Youth Art Month exhibit in our Traverse Gallery and I was blown away by the artworks that came from our schools. March is Youth Art Month and it is a month long celebration of the visual arts and encourages support for quality school art programs. The program provides a medium for recognizing skills developed through visual arts experiences unlike any other curriculum subjects, including; problem solving, creativity, observation, and communication.

The exhibit includes artwork from Willie J. Williams Middle School, C.A. Gray Junior High School and the Colquitt County High School. As a part of the exhibit we hosted two art competitions: Youth Art Month and the Georgia Kiwanis Youth Art Showcase. Jane Simpson and Harvie Ann Cox had the arduous task of jurying the artworks. In the Youth Art Month Competition a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place was awarded and a Best in Show out of the 3 schools.

The winners from 6th-7th Grade were 1st: Aide Reyes, Cityscape, 2nd: Ellie Bloodworth, Majestic Waterfall, 3rd: Aralyn Cooper, Mandala Power. From 8th – 9th grade were 1st: Itzel Zacarias, Blue Night, 2nd: Karly Walden, Alex, 3rd: Andrea Hernandez Sanchez, Thirst Quencher. From 10th-12th Grade were 1st: Teresa Nguyen, As Sweet As Honey, 2nd:Anna Marie Saunders, Bubble Gum Ellie, 3rd: Amy Alexander, Vague. And then Best in Show was awarded to high school senior Amber Moore, for her ceramic sculpture The Hand of Creativity. Alisha Montgomery, the art teacher at Willie J. Williams Middle School awarded each winner with a new sketchbook and a set of pencils.

The winners of the Kiwanis Competition will go on to compete in the District Kiwanis Art Showcase to be held in Albany in April. In the Kiwanis Competition a 1st and 2nd place winner won out of each grade 9th – 12th. The winners were 9th Grade: 1st: Andi Colin, It’s Electric, 2nd: Sandy Pascaul, Roaring with Colors. 10th Grade: 1st: Heaven Robinson, Hibiscus, 2nd: Elijah Spence, The Best Artist. 11th Grade: 1st: Hennessey Arnold, Untitled, 2nd: Hanna Allen, Untitled. 12th Grade: 1st Reece Hill, That’s My Boat, 2nd: Sara Loyd, Psalms 145.

The exhibit will be up until the end of March in our Traverse Gallery and I highly encourage you to come take a look at these amazing works of art from the students of Colquitt County. They really are one of a kind!

It was a very busy place at the Arts Center last night! Along with the Youth Art Month/Kiwanis Showcase opening, there was the celebration of the Colquitt County Career Achievement Award taking place in the ballroom, auditions for our spring community production of “Southern Hospitality,” a read thru of our youth spring production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” dress rehearsal on stage for the children’s production of “HONK, JR.” If you have not had the opportunity to enjoy the Children’s Theater production of “HONK, JR.” today at 2 PM will be your last chance!

Other classes and opportunities coming up include:

• International Craft Exhibit: Exhibiting until March 31. Last Friday Closing Event: Music provided by Easy Day Live/Drinks and refreshments.

• Youth Art Month: March 2nd – 31st

• Pine Needle Basket Class: Friday March 3rd 2 PM -5 PM  or 6 PM – 9 PM and Saturday, March 4th 9 AM until/$50 with $25 supply fee.  Deadline is February 3rd.

• Small Market Basket: Saturday, March 25th 9 AM until 3 PM  $50 with $25 supply fee  Deadline is February 3rd

• “2nd Tuesdays” Art & Painting: $25 includes supplies  6:00 – 8:00 p.m. March 21st- Artist trading cards – JOIN THE MOVEMENT! Artists trading cards have become a very  popular hobby. Come paint your very own artist trading card to share.  Deadline is March 14th.

• “Last Thursday” Workshop: Paint a silk scarf/Thursday, March 23rd 10 AM – noon or 6-8 PM $25  Deadline to register is March 16th.

Coming in April

“Week Long Celebration of The Arts,” April 2nd – 9th.

“At The Warehouse” with Sam Burchfield, April 15th.

“Hometown Teams” Smithsonian Exhibit Opening, April 22nd.

“Skeet Shoot” Fundraiser at S.GA. Youth Shooting Club, April 23rd.

Please call the Arts Center at 229-985-1922 for any additional information or you can visit our website at www.colquittcountyarts.com! “Where Creativity Finds Community!”