February is Student Art Month at VAULT’s Open Wall Gallery

Colorful “selfies,” radial name designs, and block prints created by Springfield public school students fill the Open Wall Gallery through the month of February, designated Student Art Month at the VAULT Gallery on Main Street.


www.vermontjournal.com    

(Click for full edition)

February is Student Art Month at VAULT’s Open Wall Gallery BY KAREN ENGDAHL, The ShopperFebruary 13, 2017 SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Colorful “selfies,” radial name designs, and block prints created by Springfield public school students fill the Open Wall Gallery through the month of February, designated Student Art Month at the VAULT Gallery on Main Street. VAULT Gallery Student art projects. Photo by Karen Engdahl. “These ‘selfies’ are truly amazing,” said Cynthia Martin, VAULT volunteer. “I come back and look at them often and I always see something new. I’m impressed by what these kids can do!” The “selfies,” or self-portraits done in the style of a smartphone photo of oneself, are a project of Springfield third-graders. The objectives of the project were for students to listen to and follow directions to create an art project, to create a self-portrait using contour lines, and to paint a background that presented a place where they would like to be. The results were a range of expressions and moods from festive and lighthearted to introspective and subdued. “The combination of drawing and painting is impressive,” said Martin. Other student work in the gallery includes a collection of radial name designs by students from Riverside Middle School. These large tessellations, grouped together in a stunning vertical display, pack a visual punch. Completing the display is a charming set of block prints made by second-graders. The Open Wall Gallery at the VAULT is open to local artists to display their work in a non-juried show. All ages and all levels are accepted. “The Open Wall is a great place for local artists to get their work out in the public and get some feedback,” said Martin. “We’ve even had an artist who started in the Open Wall gallery end up being juried—now we sell his work in the main gallery.” Martin proudly pointed out two large landscapes painted by Richard Emery, an artist who first brought his work to hang in an Open Wall show. “You never know,” she said. “That’s why we’re so glad to have the students’ art here. This might be the start of an artistic career!” This year the VAULT is offering four shows from Feb. 22 through Dec. 28, each with a suggested theme – “A Pigment of Your Imagination,” 2/22-4/27: “Country Rhythms,” 5/3-7/27; “Shifting Shapes,” 8/2-10/26; and “Magical Light,” 11/1-12/28. The VAULT Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and there is no admission charge for the Open Wall shows. For more information, call 802-885-7111 or go to www.galleryvault.org.