Rogers’ Greer Lingle Middle School eighth grade art students are participating in the Downtown Rogers Art on the Bricks Art Walk Thursday, November 11. Student portfolios from the Fall 2021 semester will be on display at Ozark Talent Bank, 114 S 1st Street from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. Students will be greeting the public the first hour of the exhibit and then visit some of the other participating art galleries and pop-up art exhibits to interact with other artists. The November 11 Art Walk spans multiple generations as the art and music of US Military Veterans is showcased a block away at 121 W Walnut Street.
Art instructor Joel Martin began planning the exhibition at the beginning of the semester to give students an opportunity 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.
At the start of the semester, Lingle's 8th grade art classes were tasked with understanding the full process of an artist. They have been learning about how artists choose a theme, develop a work of art based on that theme, write an artist statement to discuss their art, and, lastly, show that work to the public. Both classes chose nature and landscape as their theme and will be displaying their completed pieces on November 11. Martin wanted the students to integrate with the community to better understand how an artist promotes and markets their art. “The Lingle Art Department is excited to team with the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce and Ozark Talent Bank to bring Lingle's first portfolio show to Downtown Rogers during the November Art on the Bricks Art Walk,” he explained. “We look forward to seeing you soon!”
