LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL ART EXHIBIT OPENS IN MAY TO SUPPORT ART PROGRAMS AND YOUNG ARTISTS
Housatonic Valley Regional High School Students Exhibit at The White Gallery in Lakeville, CT
Lakeville, CT, Friday, May 2, 2008 - "Blue and Gold at The White" a new collection of artwork by student artists at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS), is opening at The White Gallery in Lakeville, CT., on Friday, May 16. The student artists will exhibit their work at the gallery through Sunday, May 18, and they'll be on hand for an artist reception on Friday, May 16 from 5:30-7:30 pm.
"We are so thankful to Susan and Tino Galluzzo, owners of The White Gallery, for their generosity year-after-year in hosting the show," said HVRHS art teacher, Warren Prindle. "They make it possible for the students to understand the real value of art and to see what it's like to display their work in a professional gallery setting."
The art show, in its fifth season at the gallery, is co-sponsored by The White Gallery and Borden Realtors. The artwork exhibited is from students in grades 9 through 12 and includes paintings - both acrylic and watercolor; pottery; drawings - pastel, pen & ink, and pencil; monoprints; photography and mixed media pieces.
Several awards are presented to the artists including a "Best in Show." This year's judges are renowned local artists Eric Forstmann, a distinguished American landscape painter; and Allen Blagden, an esteemed painter of portraits, landscapes, and wildlife. All proceeds benefit the student artists and the art program at HVRHS.
"We're pleased to support the artwork of these fine young artists," said Susan Galluzzo, director of The White Gallery. "All successful artists need exposure, so the more exposure that an artist gets - even at this young age, is important to their belief in themselves and their work."
HVRHS has a strong art department under the direction of art teachers, Peter Barrett and Warren Prindle. Course offerings include Drawing One & Two, Beginning & Advanced Painting, Black and White Photography, Advanced Photography, Sculpture, Color & Design, Digital Painting, Digital Animation, as well as independent study options.
Special programs offered to the students include the "Visiting Artist Series," underwritten by a grant from the 21st Century Fund, allowing professional artists to visit HVRHS art classes to speak and encourage students in their artwork; field trips to various art museums including the Guggenheim Museum in 2007 to see the exhibit of the 500 years of paintings from Spain, and a visit to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA.; and "The Art Garage," an after-school program run by professional artists who donate their time to help students create art.
In addition to the course offerings and special programs at HVRHS, the art department is the recipient of a private foundation award that's granted to a student looking to pursue art at one of the fine art schools around the country. "The Contemporary Visual Arts Scholarship" gives one graduating art student $40,000 over the course of four years. Recent graduates of the HVRHS Art Program have gone on to attend Parsons School of Design, Savannah College of Art & Design, Maine College of Art, The Paier College of Art, The Corcoran School of Art & Design, The School of Visual Art in New York City, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, and the Angel Academy of Art in Florence Italy. Graduates are also currently majoring in art at George Mason University and the University of Connecticut.
For this exhibit, The White Gallery will be extending its hours May 16-18, 10 am-5 pm. The White Gallery is located at 342 Main Street, Lakeville, Connecticut, Open Weds,-Sun. 11-4 pm or by appointment. For more information visit call 860-435-1029.
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