Art on the Bricks Art Walk is excited to invite the community to attend the Greer Lingle Middle School mixed grade art show coming to Downtown Rogers as part of the March Art on the Bricks Art Walk celebration of Youth Art Month.

By the numbers: Twenty-five students from seventh and eighth grades are displaying their original works of art and attendees are in for a treat. The works on paper will be exhibited from  4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Thursday, March 14 at Stay True Bike & Barber, 112 W Walnut Street in Downtown Rogers. This is one of more than a dozen pop-up art exhibitions offered during the monthly Art Walk.

Getting their wheels turning: Exhibiting art in a bike/barber shop may be an unconventional venue for experiencing art, but the opportunity to exhibit their art in public allows Greer Lingle Middle School students the opportunity to experience what it might be like to exhibit and sell their art in the future.

Greer Lingle Art Guru, Joel Martin, brings his students and their art to the bricks of Downtown Rogers two times each year. The opportunity to exhibit their art in public allows students to learn how an artist might exhibit and sell their work in their local community. When asked if the students were excited about the exhibition, he explained they were excited, but also nervous about having to talk to people they didn’t know about their art. Martin sees this as an opportunity for young artists to learn how to express themselves, share the ideas that influence their art and listen to feedback from the public.  

• The collaboration with the Rogers Lowell Chamber for the sixth consecutive show demonstrates Greer Lingle Middle School’s commitment to engaging with the broader community while showcasing the talent and creativity of students.
• This partnership not only provides exposure for the students but also highlights the importance of art in building connections and enriching community life.

Eight is great: The focus on Surrealism in the eighth-grade curriculum shows a thoughtful approach to art education, encouraging students to explore concepts and ideas beyond the ordinary. It's commendable that students were given a prompt and then allowed to express their creativity through watercolor paintings, considering compositional structure.

New kids on the block: Involving seventh-grade art students in the show by allowing them to bring their choice of art is a wonderful way to encourage participation and engagement with art at a higher level. Showcasing these young students and their art during the Art on the Bricks Art Walk fosters a sense of community and collaboration among students of different grades, enriching their understanding and appreciation of art.

Overall, the mixed-grade art show promises to be a memorable event that will not only showcase the artistic talents of the students but also foster a deeper understanding of the impact and purpose of art within the community.

Additional Youth Art Month Elements: 

• Talented young dancers offer some fancy footwork and youthful energy to the March 14 Art Walk as Rince (pronounced rin’-ka) Arkansas Academy of Irish Dance performs at 5:00 p.m. at Turntable Plaza at Railyard Park (weather permitting) and 6:00 p.m. at Envision Nutrition, 204 W Walnut St.

See the complete line-up of art and interactive map at www.artonthebricks.com

About Stay True Bike & Barber: Stay True Bike & Barber offers a unique blend of services combining a full- service barbershop with a bicycle repair shop. In addition to quality service, the shop offers a curated selection of bike parts, skateboards, grooming essentials, apparel, complete bikes, and more. Stop in to get ready to ride fast and look good doing it.

About Art on the Bricks Art Walk: Art on the Bricks Art Walk, a program of the Rogers Lowell Chamber, seeks to provide a welcoming and diverse Third Space to members of the community, with extended hours in retail shops, art galleries, and pop-up art exhibits from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the 2nd Thursday of every month.

Bringing Community Together: The event is made possible by sponsors including T-Mobile, Renewal by Andersen, Rogers Experimental House, KNWA/Fox 24 News, iHEART Media, and Minuteman Press, in collaboration with local business owners, non-profit organizations, and talented artists from across Northwest Arkansas and beyond.