NRHEG art teacher Cynthia Gail believes it’s important that student art is available for everyone to see. Toward that end, she has taken projects created by students in sixth through eighth grades and displayed them prominently throughout the secondary school hallways.
“They’re on different themes and they use different media,” describes Gail. “It makes for a lot of variety and color.”
Based on Minnesota state standards, many of the works center around indigenous peoples. One set shows interpretations of totem poles, a feature of Alaskan native culture. Another set uses the southwestern theme of the storyteller. Some gray-scale designs feature horses, important to the Ojibwe people.
Works are also produced using grayscale and colored pencils, tempera and oil paints, and more. They are displayed in neat groups in hallways throughout the building.
“I want the students to see that their work is on display. I want artists to have a chance to see each others’ work. I want to give everyone an opportunity to appreciate the versatility, beauty and power of art,” commented Gail. “For all those reasons, it’s important student work is displayed.”
Among sixth-graders whose work is displayed are Addison Bauleke, August Bethke, Lucas Degen, Brandon Doyle, Mack Gilliland, Kailee Harmer, Jacob Klaras, Brayton Kruger, Mason Pederson, Owen Schlaak, Jaren Surat, Melody Torley and Matthew Williams.
Among seventh-graders are Arnold Braxton, Scarlett Chance, Kenley Gehrke, Mallory Groskreutz, Chase Hanson, Hannah Harmer, Korbin Johnson, Jovey Knudson, Gabrielle Nelton, Lincoln Quade, Makenna Reeder, Braydon Rollag, Dakota Schlaak, Brooklyn Sommer, Morgan Studier and Jackson Woodham.
