Exhibit Features Work by After School Artists

Front Row (L-R): Victoria Inabinette, Lauren ONeil, Lauren Clemons, Jake Saar, Glenda Argueta,  Sandra Cox; Middle Row:  Sydnie Williams, Kensley Bullins, Ashley Heavner, Luis Romero; Back Row: Nathan Halpin, Jamarius Dandridge, Bianka Dodson

On June 5, students from Martinsville Middle School's After School Art Program gathered at Piedmont Arts for a year-end exhibition of their work. Thirteen students participated in this year's program, which offered students in-depth lessons in the visual arts taught by local artists. 

Morgan (left) and Lauren Clemens look at the stained glass

display constructed by Studio 107 artists to display work

during the exhibit.

“The After School Art Program was founded to provide art instruction to those students who are found to be artistically talented by their elementary art teachers,” said Sandra Cox, who founded the program. “Many students are not able to take art at the middle school level due to scheduling conflicts.  The program attempts to meet the needs of students who love art and are serious about improving their art skills.”  

Students experienced a wide range of curricula this year, thanks to the diversity of the artists who served as volunteer instructors, many of whom work out of Studio 107 in Uptown Martinsville.  Artists Terry Mitchell, Betty Blessin, Roland Guidry, Aleen Wilson, Lynn Berry, John Christian and Jane Iten taught small group classes in painting, stained glass, woodturning and fiber arts, while Piedmont Arts’ Heidi Pinkston and Brandon Adams provided gallery tours and art history instruction. Students also used the Piedmont Arts exhibit, Surface and Soul: Works by Dianne Smith, as inspiration for fiber art sculptures.

“The program allows students to enrich their artistic abilities on multiple levels with the help of one-on-one attention from art instructors,” said Cox.  “The variety of art classes to which these students are exposed also helps them to find their own special interests, to work toward in their future art endeavors.”