The creative efforts of 49 student artists from North Beach Junior/Senior High School were on display March 24-25 as Associated Arts of Ocean Shores teamed with the Ocean Shores Public Library to launch an expanded Youth Fine Art Open Show.
Friday afternoon, 37 of the young artists attended a reception as their work was displayed in a temporary gallery in the library’s meeting room. That morning, 47 Ocean Shores Elementary fifth- and sixth-graders had a field trip to the show at the library, as did 30 students from Pacific Beach Elementary.
The show is affiliated with one of the North Coast’s longest-running annual events, the AAOS Fine Arts, 3-D and Photography Show, set this year for April 22-23 in the Ocean Shores Convention Center. The top 20 artists from the youth show have been invited to showcase their work at that event, where they will be eligible to compete for cash awards.
The youth show highlighted works by students in the NBHS art classes of Richard Villar, and they were judged by well-known local artist Larry Walden. Of those entries, 22 pieces by 20 artists received honorable mention ribbons at the library show. First-, second- and third-place winners will be chosen from that group at a later date. Several individual and business sponsors awarded their own honors separately.
Villar noted that he was an art student at Ocean Shores Elementary in the ’70s. “AAOS had a student art show; I entered and came in second,” he said. “I fell in love with art. I felt like a real artist. I was a pretty lousy student, so it was nice to be good at something.”
He explained that for most of his current students, “it’s their first time at a formal art show where their work is matted and judged. It’s a big deal. … It’s a whole new world of discovery for them.”
Sophomore Miriam Wilkerson had two pieces honored at the show, where she said she enjoyed “looking at other people’s work, the different styles, seeing how they express themselves (and) being able to show how you can create something, how you can express yourself.”
Joan Lohr, an AAOS board member and chairwoman of the April art show, said creating a youth art show was meant to honor students in a personal way.
“We recognize that our future artists are the students. We want to help direct them and their talents,” she said, adding that AAOS has long been involved with youth art at NBHS as “part of our mission statement, to develop programs for visual, literary and performing arts.” The nonprofit organization donates $2,500 each year to the art department to buy supplies, plus $1,000 for a scholarship.
“Youth has always been really important to us. We’ve been making them part of our shows so they can get the experience and exposure as artists,” said AAOS President Ed Schroll. “They’re the next generation of artists, and we’re trying to encourage and nurture and cultivate them.”
Library director Keitha Owen noted the library’s role in the arts. “In my six years … the library has always supported all types of local art via the very popular monthly ‘Art in the Library’ shows, the quilt of the month shows, art programs for all ages in the library, and the AAOS cooperative efforts with the Friends of the Library art fundraiser raffle, which will start this year on April 18.”
The 20 students whose works will be displayed at the AAOS Fine Arts, 3-D and Photography Show are Skye Bartell, Daniel Bundy, Steven Butler, Amanda Campbell, Khyra Chism, Lorin Cox, David Flores, Samantha Hanger, Taelim Joel, Moses Jordan, Kaylee Leslie, Cassie Levesque, Cari Linderman, Amelia Loudenback, Cody Martin, Reilly Moore, Trinity Schmidt, Lucius Veiga, Miriam Wilkerson and Kenzie Wilson.
