Some of Aiken's artists are sharing their works with the community for the holiday season.
Artwork by students at East Aiken School of the Arts, from kindergarten to fifth grade and in special education classes, will be on display in the upstairs gallery at the Aiken Center for the Arts, 122 Laurens St. S.W., through Dec. 31.
Tamara Smith, who teaches visual art at East Aiken, said being part of a community exhibit broadens the children's horizons and possibilities.
“We hang art at the school, and that's wonderful. Their faces light up,” she said. “But when they come out in public and see that there's a whole world out here of art and that they're part of that conversation, it's a whole different experience for them. They can see the works of art downstairs, and when they come upstairs, they can say, oh, yes, I'm here, too, with these professional artists.”
And when the exhibit comes down at the center, it will go up at East Aiken.
“Everything will go back to the school, and we'll hang it up there,” Smith said. “We like for it to be everywhere.”
The exhibit, featuring more than 130 works of art, include a variety of media, including watercolor, acrylic, multimedia, printmaking, charcoal, collage, three-dimensional art and fiber arts.
At East Aiken, visual arts, dance, music and theater are integrated into classroom subjects across the curriculum.
For example, kindergarten students learn about lines – straight lines or curvy lines – to create art in their visual arts class and then use those same lines as they learn to write, Principal Lisa Fallaw said.
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