Note: The opening reception has been postponed from Sunday, Jan. 28, to Sunday, Feb. 4. The reception will be held 1 to 4 p.m.
The Seven Up+ — The Art of Charles County Public Schools Students art show will be on display at the Mattawoman Creek Art Center through early February. An opening reception — originally set to be held this Sunday — has been rescheduled to 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 28.
Each year, high school art teachers select student work to be featured in the show which can be drawings — traditional and digital, mixed media pieces, paintings, photographs and sculpture. The show will be judged by an artist who is affiliated with the center.
Having their work displayed in a professional gallery is a boost for young artists, and a way to reach a broader audience. Student artwork is often showcased in the hallways of schools and at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building. But those venues are not often accessed by those outside of the school system, Kristina Blakeslee, a Maurice J. McDonough High School art teacher, said. “This art show is special because it’s held in a professional gallery and gives students the opportunity to showcase their work in a community space. A lot of our shows are at the Board of Education building where school employees and other staff get to see it, but other members of the community don’t necessarily get to.”
Throughout the school year, art teachers keep a mental list of the work that could make the cut and into the show featuring pieces from the seven CCPS high schools and the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center. Some are shoo-ins, others are selected for different reasons. “A lot of times I look at their artist statements, the story behind the piece and the process they went through,” Westlake High School art teacher Jacqueline Thomas said of determining the pieces she submits. “Sometimes it is knowing that a student needs that push to keep going, to keep making art.”
For some students, art is essential. “For many of them it’s a means of self-expression. For some, they have told us, it’s their reason for coming to school, for others it is a stress relief,” Blakeslee said. “And for some it’s a reason to push themselves.”
Situated in Smallwood State Park, the art center is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday through Sunday with the Seven Up+ art show on display through Feb. 4.
“I think it’s the most prestigious of the art shows. It’s geared toward [showing the work] of the more advanced students,” Sandy Fair, a North Point High School art teacher, said. “When the public comes to the show, they can see our kids are really skilled and talented.”
Smallwood State Park is at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury. To learn more about the Mattawoman Creek Art Center, visit www.mattawomanart.org.
About CCPS
Charles County Public Schools provides 27,598 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 37 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Kathy Kiessling, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.
CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).