May 31, 2011                                                                                       

Graduating Students Look Towards New Horizons

With the school year quickly coming to a close, graduating high school students at the District School Board of Niagara are coming together for one final celebration of the arts. For the next two weeks (June 1-14), the Education Centre in St. Catharines will be home to the 2011 Graduate Art Show, featuring student works such as paintings, photos, sculptures and more.

The theme of this year’s exhibition is “New Horizons”, which Arts Consultant Gerda Klassen believes is very fitting. “Graduating high school is a very significant event in a student’s life. It is also a time when students are considering the different directions in which their lives make take; either to post-secondary education or the world of work. Major life changes such as this have a profound effect on the way we view the world and that influence is often expressed through art,” says Klassen.

The exhibition, which showcases the best pieces done by talented graduating secondary school students from across the DSBN, will be judged by Peter Vietgen, professor of Visual Art at the Faculty of Education, Brock University and Mori McCrae with the Jordan Art Gallery. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Best in Show; Drawing; Sculpture; Mixed Media; Painting; Printmaking; and Photography.

The show is also a chance for visitors to add to their art collections as students are able to place their art for sale if they wish.

Visitors are encouraged to attend the free show from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Education Centre is located at 191 Carlton Street in St. Catharines.