Students and parents flocked to the Maine Art Gallery (MAG) for the opening of The Wiscasset Schools K -12 Spring Art show on Friday, April 14. Liz Proffetty, teacher of the lower grades, said “kids were so excited to see their work displayed in a real gallery.” Indeed, the excitement of the young budding artists, smiling and pointing to their work, made the opening especially vibrant to MAG board members and other adults present.

“Not only is the artwork fun and refreshing,” commented one adult visitor, “but there’s also some really good work here.” 

Almost every possible art medium is represented in the show, including watercolors, tempera, pencil, photography, collage, weavings, printmaking, ceramics and metal sculpture. And there were many themes students explored in their work: nature landscapes, self-portraits, direct observation and something intriguing called mindfulness exercises, involving the student playing with what can be created using a continuous line on paper. 

Sixth-grader Evelyn Herrick exhibited a colored-pencil drawing of a girl sitting with legs folded, her head turned to the side. Not an easy pose to draw for an artist of any age, she did it with considerable skill. It’s not surprising that, when asked, she said “I want to be an illustrator someday.”

Third grader Giemella Absalud displayed a fascinating mixed media collage that named the elements of art, such as color, line, values and space, and gave examples of each on the paper surface. She said, “art is my favorite subject.” Her brother Giemelking, a second grader, created a large ink and watercolor work, “Vase with Cherry Blossoms,” that graced the center of the gallery. 

Grace Greene, a 12th grade student, exhibited a charming ceramic bowl with an octopus on top.  Many visitors commented on the enchanting work “Rabbit, Rabbit,” of kindergartener, Emberly McArdle.

When it came to picking out what to exhibit, 6-12th grade art teacher Shalimar Chasse said the students themselves decided, for the most part. The teachers mounted the work and helped hang it.

The works mentioned here are only a few of the many wonderful works to see. The exhibit will be open two more weekends, April 22,23, 29, 30 from 11 to 4 p.m. 

The gallery extends thanks to the 2023 student exhibit sponsor, Big Barn Coffee, locally roasted, Arabica coffee beans from Certified Organic coffee farms around the world. The gallery also thanks its season sponsor, Sherri Dunbar of Tim Dunham Realty.

A nonprofit organization, the Maine Art Gallery is dedicated to the advancement and preservation of the visual, fine and applied arts through exhibitions, lectures, demonstration and educational programs for children and adults since 1958. More information can be found at www.maineartgallerywiscasset.org and on Facebook at Maine Art Gallery Wiscasset. 

The gallery is located at 15 Warren St., Wiscasset, with free on-street parking.