“It’s been a good experience,” Kaleb Strines, one of the participating artists, told the Springfield News-Sun. “It feels nice.”
Strines was one of the 10 artists whose work now sits besides some of the community’s most celebrated artists. For many, it was the first time their art was recognized on such a platform.
Laura Truitt, one of the teaching artists and a coordinator for the program, shared that the work of her students was right where they belong.
“It’s wonderful and of course they are on the wall here,” Truitt said. “I love how inclusive the show is in that all of the work have relationships to the works around them. They absolutely belong.”
She and her team were constantly inspired by the level ambition and joy their students exhibited.
“My role was to plan what we would do, prep material and things like that,” she said. “We also learned that each artist had their own direction they wanted to go in. Sometimes it was just facilitating that, making sure they had whatever materials they needed for the project they had in mind.”
The works created by their students’ visitors to the gallery can see range from landscapes, abstract patterns, representational pieces and 3D works.
“The joy was very palpable. That’s what I kept coming away with. The joy of making. People were just excited to make and joyful to be around,” Truitt said. “It is a reminder of why we make art. It’s the process that is beautiful.”
Bonnie See was one of several family members there to support a loved one. The grandmother of Justin Hope was delighted at how well the displays were organized.
“I think it’s displayed beautifully,” See said. “I just couldn’t have thought they would have it better, it’s beautiful.”
See said she expects her grandson will create more art. Regarding Justin’s talent, See quipped that “he didn’t get it from his grandma.”
In addition to Hope and Strines, other artists selected for the exhibition included Riley Acuff, Xander Coomer, Kaydence Denson, Chloe Gardner, Hannah Howard, Cathy Jenkins, Savannah Joyner, and Sulayman Njie.
“I think they are all working in their own way on their own time. But I hope we can continue to be a place to facilitate that growth. I think that would be my ideal situation,” Truitt said about the future.
While many are having their work displayed for the first time, it certainly won’t be the last. Strines, who is also an accomplished woodworker, will be sharing his work at the Hatch Artist Studios on Dec. 5.
For Sharon Pruzaniec, community navigator at DDCC, the exhibition is an example of how the agency works with its partners to find opportunities for the people they serve.
“They each have individual skills. We do a good job when we can find a place for them in the community that utilizes their unique skills,” Pruzaniec said. “It’s a lot of collaborating, a lot of coordinating, a lot of us learning what they do best and relaying that.”
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