February 21, 2020 at 5:23 p.m.
Rhinelander students show off artwork in public exhibition
Rhinelander students show off artwork in public exhibition
By Stephanie Kuski-
Artwork from elementary students were displayed next to pieces by high school artists, showcasing the extensive talent present in our schools. In addition, various mediums including ceramics, paper mache, watercolor, digital art, acrylic, chalk, collage and others were featured.
ArtStart's program and operations director Ashley McLaughlin said this is the second year ArtStart has offered this program to local schools.
With more than 245 submissions this year, McLaughlin said the exhibition has grown exponentially since its inception.
"When we first started, it was barely enough for two galleries and now both galleries are exploding with art," she said.
McLaughlin also said this was a great opportunity for patrons new to ArtStart to get their foot in the door in support of students from across the school district.
"It brings in not only the students, but their parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles," McLaughlin said. "It's so important for these students who love art to know that ArtStart exists, because we have so much to offer."
In the offseason between professionally curated exhibitions, McLaughlin said ArtStart promotes community exhibitions in order to offer local artists an opportunity to showcase their artwork in a professional gallery.
This exhibition was curated by the various school district art instructors, McLaughlin said, and each instructor had different requirements and ideas behind their selection process.
Josh Calhoun, an art teacher at Rhinelander High School (RHS), said he was among the five teachers asked to select 40 pieces of artwork among the first semester's body of work.
While he couldn't choose every student, this was a great opportunity to showcase those students who put forth extra effort, he said.
"We try to choose pieces we feel best represent our student body," Calhoun said. "We want to show off all the great talent we have at RHS and the other schools. It's also a really neat incentive because the students know that not everyone gets selected, so maybe it's a motivating factor to put their best foot forward."
Calhoun said he liked the idea of a K-12 exhibit so that you would see an elementary student's work next to a high schooler's piece. In this way, students can visually see the progression in skills, and hopefully, the elementary school student can look up to the high school student's work.
"We're happy to partner with ArtStart as a community organization," Calhoun said, "and we're really thrilled to show off the students' work in a professional gallery."
From the high school students, Calhoun and his colleague Diana Budde - an art teacher at James Williams Middle School (JWMS) and RHS - said they chose mostly ceramics, paintings and drawings from their students' body of work.
In the midst of the digital age, Budde said she finds art an important and cathartic way to unplug from the screen. get your hands dirty and work creatively. She said exhibitions like this one are important because it shows students that art is as important as academics or athletics within the community.
"I think it's really important for there to be a place like ArtStart in the community," Budde explained, "because it showcases the talent that's within the community but also brings art from outside the community that people might not otherwise experience."
Brian Carpenter, an art teacher at JWMS, agreed with Budde in that this exhibition is a unique opportunity for students to flaunt their work.
"It opens the community's eyes to the artistic talents that we have in our classrooms," Carpenter said. "It would be great if we could continue to do this for years to come."
Ingrid Bodensteiner, an art teacher at Central and Pelican Elementary Schools, loved watching her students react to seeing their work displayed in a gallery.
"I think one of my favorite things of this whole process was the reaction of the students," Bodensteiner said. "How excited they were, how proud they are. It's neat to see their whole families coming out to celebrate the students' art. Any opportunity to celebrate the artwork of the young people in our community is completely worthwhile."
Bodensteiner said art is a subject her students enjoy so much that when she allows her students to come into the art room during recess, her room is full.
"Art is important and it's something my kids want to do," Bodensteiner said. "It helps calm them down from the busy routine they often spend their whole day doing, and it's vital."
Kimberly Martiny, art teacher at Northwoods Community Elementary School (NCES) and Crescent Elementary, said the opportunity to be featured in an art exhibit is a motivating factor for her students to succeed in the classroom.
"Art helps foster creativity and it's a very important part of our curriculum," Martiny said. "ArtStart has been really great to work with. They've definitely celebrated the success of our students and they've been very supportive in encouraging our kids' creativity and talents."
That creativity was on display and students were given the opportunity to talk about the inspiration behind their art at the opening reception on Feb. 12.
Amber Bramm, a ninth-grade student at RHS, made a ceramic box in Calhoun's ceramics class last semester and it was chosen to be on display at ArtStart.
"Considering there were a lot of pieces from other classes, it was cool to have my piece selected," Bramm said.
She said she likes working with ceramics because she gets to work with her hands. She said she enjoys her art classes because it's a way for her to express herself and create new ideas.
RHS junior Livi TerBeest displayed her oil painting of a quokka bear. She said that for her art project, she had to choose an animal to paint but wanted to choose one that was unique and she used vibrant colors so it would stand out.
Although this was the first time her work was on display at ArtStart, TerBeest said she's excited to continue working with oils to hone her skills as an artist.
"I think art is a really fun way to express yourself, to show who you are and your personality, because you can really tell a lot about someone from the art they make," TerBeest said.
"It's really cool knowing so many people are seeing my painting," she added.
TerBeest said this was an exciting opportunity to show off her success within the art program at RHS.
"We have a great art program at Rhinelander High School," she said. "I think our art teachers are amazing, especially Mr. Calhoun."
RHS senior Jenna Younker made a ceramic mug with an ocean theme, using an octopus' tentacle as the handle of her mug. She said she signed up for Calhoun's ceramics class as a fun elective and this was the first time having her artwork on display.
"I think it's cool that ArtStart lets people from the community bring in their pieces to display it to the public and show what the school offers," Younker said.
RHS sophomore Hunter Hapka used Japanese ink to create an ink landscape using point perspective. Since he's an avid outdoorsmen, Hapka said he drew a cabin in the woods but said he took a different approach from his peers, which is why his teacher selected his artwork.
Hapka said he would like to continue pursuing art and could even see himself using art in a future career, perhaps as a conceptual artist for movies or video games.
He said this was his second year displaying artwork at ArtStart.
"I really like that they do this," Hapka said, "because it gives people who want to pursue art an opportunity to start somewhere."
For aspiring artists like Hapka, ArtStart presents a unique chance to showcase artwork to a public audience in a professional gallery, which aligns with ArtStart's mission to support local artists in our community.
SDR's community exhibition will be on display until Feb. 29.
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