On a dark, snowy evening in January, Lanesboro Arts presented a sparkly contrast to the night. The well-lit gallery was humming with people of all ages strolling around to check out a wide variety of art created by high school students from area schools.
January 10 was the opening reception for the annual high school art exhibition. Art work from over 40 high school students from Chatfield, Lanesboro, Fillmore Central, Rushford-Peterson and Mabel Canton has been set up in a dedicated exhibit. The exhibit will be on display until January 31.
Lanesboro Arts has presented such an exhibition annually for over a decade. This year’s opening reception had a better turn out both in displayed art work and people attending than previous years according to staff; the walls are packed with art. Parents, grandparents, siblings and community members filled the gallery to view the student art.
The wide assortment of art work that is displayed in the exhibition area of Lanesboro Arts includes photography, paintings, graphite, charcoal, digital art, needle felting, crochet, ceramics, metal, paper mache, mixed media and more.
Some items on display this year are new. Flash sheets which portray drawn tattoo designs are hung next to charcoal sketches.
Tetrapak etchings are also new. Lanesboro art teacher Stena Lieb shared that she had tried the technique herself for the first time this past year. Tetrapaks are cartons used to package beverages. The cartons are cut apart and etched to create a print with etching ink and damp paper.
Most of the artists were selected by their teachers to participate; they were able to choose the pieces they brought to the show. This exhibition is not judged.
One of the pieces on display was not made by an art student. Liam Miller from Lanesboro created a Roman helmet as a project for a history class. His brother had entered work in the Lanesboro Arts Exhibition in the past, so he decided to enter his helmet in the showcase. Liam has made Roman coins in the past; he himself owns a forge and a smeltery. Now Liam has plans to create even more metal art.
Katelyn Scheevel, a sophomore from Preston, has several pieces on display. She said her favorite piece is a charcoal of a lake her family had visited last summer. Katelyn used a color picture of the lake as a model as she did the subdued black and white art.
Hunter Rislov, a senior at Rushford-Peterson enjoys working with graphite. His large graphite dragon took a month of class time; Hunter used several different dragons done in assorted styles as his inspiration for the piece. Hunter does a lot of art on his own at home as well.
Kalen Wangen of Mabel-Canton also has several pieces on display. His personal favorite is a brightly colored turkey done in watercolor and permanent marker armed with a hatchet. The quote attached is, “I’m taking turkey off the menu.”
While the artists did not provide a written artist comment, many of them were present and happy to answer questions and engage with visitors about their art. Students feel a sense of pride to see their work displayed on walls with other artists. Artists have few opportunities to share their work. As Abby Potter, Chatfield’s art teacher put it, “It’s important to get their stuff out of the classroom.”
The Chatfield art students also display their work at an art show in Rochester and compete in the MSHSL visual arts competition.
Lanesboro art students typically attend the Visual Arts Classic in Wisconsin; they usually attend the regionals in La Crosse, but this year will need to travel to Superior because the senior class trip conflicts with the La Crosse date. Students get a prompt ahead of time and create their art complete with an artist statement. At the event, they receive another prompt for a short term two-hour project that also is judged. They compete in an art history knowledge bowl-like event and finally complete a group art project. Teacher Stena Lieb loves having her students involved in art shows; she herself remembers winning an award as a high schooler in Lanesboro.
Student artists who attended the opening reception for the Lanesboro Arts High School Exhibition were able to enter a raffle for art supplies. Two winners were chosen from each school. The exhibition was sponsored by Lanesboro Arts and the MInnesota Arts Board Operating Support Grant, a legislative appropriation from the Arts & Culture Heritage Fund.
If you’re looking for something different to do the rest of this month, stop down at Lanesboro Arts to enjoy the fantastic variety of artwork created by our area’s high schoolers. The exhibit will be on display until January 31!
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