Student art exhibitions soon

By Steve Hubrecht steve@columbiavalleypioneer.com

Columbia Valley’s young artists will be front and centre in the local arts scene this spring, with the annual Art From the Heart exhibition launching this week at Pynelogs Cultural Centre, followed in short order by the Li’l Peeps Arts Show and then the REACH Art Show, both at the Columbia Valley Centre.

Art from the Heart features the artwork of students from all elementary schools in the valley, from Edgewater Elementary School in the north down to Martin Morigeau Elementary School in the south, and will run at Pynelogs from April 6 to April 22.

e Li’l Peeps Art Show showcases art made by preschool children from several local daycares, and will run from April 18 to May 15. Older students then get their turn during the REACH Art Show, which features art from David ompson Secondary School (DTSS) in Invermere and runs from May 16 to May 31.

is is the first time the REACH Art Show will be at the Columbia Valley Centre, and the second time the space will be used for the Li’l Peeps Art Show. e works will go up in the centre’s large foyer.

“It’s a great venue for these shows,” said Columbia e time of the REACH Art Show aligns nicely with graduation and other end-of-year events at DTSS, which typically begin some time in mid to late May and are ongoing through June, added Fredin. e Li’l Peeps Art Show will involve 40 to 50 preschool artists, Art from the Heart involves more than 800 elementary school age artists, and the REACH Art Show will feature more than 1,000 works from DTSS students.

Valley Arts Council executive director Cajsa Fredin.

CV Arts wants to expand its community reach, and having those two shows in the Columbia Valley Centre is “an amazing opportunity” to that end, said Fredin. Many children already regularly go the centre for non-art related reasons, such visiting the Invermere Public Library, and when they do so during the spring, they will see the space filled with their art and that of their peers.

Having the Li’l Peeps Art Show at the Columbia Valley Centre also makes it much more accessible for local daycare kids to come see the show, since some of Invermere’s larger daycare centres are within easy walking distance of the centre, she said.

Fredin and CV Arts coordinate the three student art exhibitions in conjunction with art teachers in the various schools.