On March 25, the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts (LCVA) organized its Twelfth Annual Area Youth Art Exhibition in the lower level of the museum. The exhibition displayed artwork from 2,500 children ranging from preschool to twelfth grade along with 43 schools in 10 counties, making the exhibition the largest youth art exhibition in the country. Director K. Johnson Bowles said, "We started this program more than 12 years ago, and we've been doing it every year, and every year it gets bigger. Our purpose is to serve the 10 counties, schools and teachers and children in our region."
Bowles said, "I think it benefits the kids because they can definitely have a sense of pride in what they're doing, the parents can come in and see the benefit of art and how all the parts working together and making a very powerful whole. I think that probably one of the most compelling examples would be this dragon by Prince Edward County Elementary where all 1,000 children helped participate. They made their own and had a lot of pride in that one part, and they say how by working together they can create something bigger than themselves."
The dragon constructed by the students of Prince Edward County Elementary School slithered above the attendants, constructed with a wire frame, papier-mâché, paper plates, caution tape and other mediums. The dragon bares its fangs menacingly to the guests who make their way down the stairs into the gallery yet emanates a friendly presence with the bright vibrant colors of the rainbow transitioning through the translucent and thin paper dragon scales.
Bowles said, "[The Area Youth Art Exhibition] illustrates our mission at the art center, which is to provide beauty and hope and examples of the power of the imagination. In this day and age, we all need inspiration."
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"We all need to see how that even though we have challenges and problems, we can envision something better, and we have to use creativity and innovation," said Bowles.
According to the LCVA website, "The following schools will participate in the 2012 exhibition: Amelia County Elementary School, Amelia County High School, Amelia County Middle School, Appomattox County High School, Appomattox County Middle School, Appomattox Elementary School, Appomattox Primary School, Bacon District Elementary School, Blackstone Primary School, Broadus Wood Elementary School, Buckingham County High School, Buckingham County Middle School, Buckingham Primary School, Burkeville Elementary School, Central Middle School, Central Virginia Christian School, Crewe Primary School, Cumberland County Elementary School, Cumberland High School, Cumberland Middle School, Dillwyn Elementary School, Dillwyn Primary School, Eureka Elementary School, Five-County Home School, Fuqua School, Gold Hill Elementary School, Kenston Forest School, Lunenburg Middle School, New Life Christian Academy, Nottoway County High School, Nottoway County Intermediate School, Nottoway County Middle School, Phenix Elementary School, Pocahontas Middle School, Prince Edward County Elementary School, Prince Edward County High School, Randolph-Henry High School, Scottsville Elementary School, and Thomas Jefferson Center."
"We always hope that more schools will participate, and we look forward to inviting more schools and more counties," said Bowles. Currently, the LCVA is exhibiting "Power & Beauty: New in the African Art Collection," in the Miller Gallery for an indefinite amount of time. It opened to the public on March 9. The Longwood Center for the Visual Arts gives thanks to the support of Jessie Ball duPont for making the exhibition possible.
The Longwood Center for the Visual Arts is located on 129 N. Main Street and is open and free to the public Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, go online to www. longwood.edu/lcva or call (434) 395-2206.
The Prince Edward County Elementary School students constructed this piece of artwork out of wire, paper plates, caution tape and more.