Exhibit opens Friday at Arts Council
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on August 6, 2015 1:46 PM
Mary Scott Best is an artist and her work will be part of the "Things That Move Me" exhibit, which opens Friday at the Arts Council of Wayne County.
The exhibit focuses on the different pieces of art that students in this summer's art camps have created.
For Mary Scott, 11, it will be one of her abstract paintings.
"I did cool colors and warm colors for my abstract art, she said. "Cool colors are dark blue, turquoise and black. Warm colors are pink, red, orange, turquoise and black -- because black can go either way."
Mary Scott was also proud of the papier mache bowl she made during another class.
"We blew up a balloon and put glue and tissue paper around it," she said. "Then we put this white paper around it to make it hard. Then we put tissue paper around it again. When it was dry, we popped the balloon and it will be like a little bowl to put things in."
Her sister, 8-year-old Hannah Clare Best, will have one of her abstract paintings in the show, too.
She also created bracelets during the art camp.
"I put charms and beads on them," Hannah said. "I even put my name on one of them. And I made one for my teacher, Miss McDonald."
Entering her abstract will be Caroline Suddarth, 8.
"I'm going to feel happy that people get to see what I did at art camp," she said.
Arts Council director Sarah Merritt said Things That Move Me will be a really fun exhibit.
The students will have done paintings inspired by the world around them, made a swarm of 6- and 8-legged creatures both real and made up, made clay creations, made graffiti graphics, made a chandelier, made a masterpiece of scrumptious sweets and more.
All the artists are ages 5 through 12. Their age tends to make for more creative artists.
"The thing about children is they are so much more free in their artistic expression than adults are," Mrs. Merritt said. "Sometimes we get so bogged down in the adult world that we don't sometimes think like children do. I'm always amazed at the work they do."
"The children get to decide themselves if they want to be part of the exhibit, which most do," Mrs. Merritt said. "And they get to choose the piece they would like to submit for the exhibit."
Mrs. Merritt said it's a good experience for children to be able to see their work exhibited in a professional manner in a professional environment.
"It boosts their self-confidence and gives them pride in what they did and their hard work," she said. "Art camps are really fun, but it's still hard work. And the children work really hard."
And visitors to the exhibit are sure to have fun looking at the children's work, she said.
"I think it's good for us to expose ourselves to that as adults," Mrs. Merritt said. "I also think it's good for people in the community to se the kind of work the children do in classes and see how talented they are."
The exhibit is free and will be in the TALoving Gallery through Sept. 18. Days and hours are Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m.
There will be an opening reception Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., where visitors can meet the artists.
For more information about the exhibit, call the Arts Council at 919-736-3300.