Artwork by area high school students is on display in the Lobby Gallery at the University of Lynchburg’s Dillard Fine Arts Center.
This is the second year that Lynchburg has hosted an exhibition of high school artwork. It began when art professors proposed the idea and invited area high school art teachers to nominate some of their students’ best work to be exhibited on campus.
Schools represented in the show include Altavista Combined School, Amherst County High School, E.C. Glass High School, Heritage High School, Jefferson Forest High School, Liberty Christian Academy, and Virginia Episcopal School.
This year’s show includes 52 items that represent a wide range of media — oil paint, egg tempera, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, charcoal, graphite, color pencil, pen and ink, digital art, and mixed media. Several paintings by Heritage High School students were inspired by the slave narratives that were compiled in the 1930s by Works Progress Administration writers.
“The subject matter is diverse and compelling,” Brooke Marcy, a member of Lynchburg’s art faculty, said. “Portraits, figures, landscapes, abstracts, historical figures, still-life, and whimsical characters, to name a few. It is a fabulous exhibition highlighting the many talents of local high school students.”
The exhibition is just one way Lynchburg recognizes and rewards young artists. The University also offers Visual and Performing Arts scholarships to students who excel in the arts taught at Lynchburg — visual art, music, and theatre. The scholarships range from $1,000 to $3,000.
The Visual and Performing Arts Scholarship competition requires an on-campus audition. Students can schedule the audition to coincide with another trip to campus, such as a tour or open house, or can audition at one of the invitation-only scholarship days.
The high school exhibition closes on Thursday, February 13, with a reception and awards ceremony, beginning at 6 p.m. The public is invited and admission is free.
“It’s a marvelous opportunity for the local high school students to come and experience all that the University of Lynchburg’s art department has to offer,” Marcy said.
