Tremani Edwards and her art teacher Jennifer Berkowitz pose next to Edwards’s piece “Paint Pulling and Heart Print” during the CCSD Youth Art Exhibition at the Lamar Dodd School of Art in Athens, Georgia, on Sunday, March 24, 2024. (Photo/Evan Frilingos; @frilingos.photos)
Tristian Baugh, a first grader at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School, looked up at his artwork as his older brother, Gregory Baugh, wrapped his arms around him, admiring his little brother’s work.
“I’m proud of him,” Gregory Baugh said.
Tristian Baugh said that his artwork was a picture of his house. The painted house was below a blue sky with clouds and sunshine. The roof was bright red, cut from construction paper, and the steps to the front door were painted royal purple.
On Sunday, March 24, families flooded the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art and entered a realm of bright color bursting from both student artwork and free M&M cookies. Cheerful smiles were painted on students’ faces as they displayed their work for friends and family. Tristian Baugh’s artwork was part of Clarke County School District’s annual art exhibition.
The showcase and its reception celebrated Youth Art Month and featured work from artists of all grade levels from across the school district.
Ila Edwards, a kindergartener from Timothy Road Elementary School, stood with her painting made with oil pastels and permanent marker.
In a black outline, Edwards traced what resembles a ladybug with six legs. However, she was an inventor of her own kind of bug – one that was a rainbow of colors.
“I was thinking it could be an ordinary bug,” Edwards said.
Tait Gibbons, a fifth grade student from Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School, also thought outside the box.
His artwork depicts himself and is woven with different clothes, a skill he learned in his art class. The colorful, cloth figure jumps out of a box and into the front of the page surrounded with splatter paint art. The figure has a speech bubble that says, “Think outside the box!”
Gibbons’ mom, Becca Leopkey, said Tait is interested in designing cars or engineering, fields that require artistic ability.
Kyden Johnson, an eighth grader from Hilsman Middle School, said she was very happy to have her artwork displayed. Through her graphic design, she also used art as an expression of self.
“The person in this painting is a very dark, gloomy person surrounded by a gloomy area,” Johnson said. “But even if they don’t know it themselves, they are bright and vibrant. That’s how I want to be perceived.”
Jaden Davis (left) and friend Kyden Johnson (right) point to their pieces “Flow” and “Aura Within” during the CCSD Youth Art Exhibition at the Lamar Dodd School of Art in Athens, Georgia, on Sunday, March 24, 2024. (Photo/Evan Frilingos; @frilingos.photos)
Harvey Crenshaw, a fifth grader at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School, enjoys playing soccer, his dad said. However, off the field he enjoys doodling things he sees and hears about.
Crenshaw’s piece hung with three other selected projects that were filled with bright oranges, yellows and reds. His, however, was an ocean scenery with blue and green watercolor.
“I wanted to do something that had cool colors because the project was on light colors,” Crenshaw said. “I wanted to do something a little different.”
Every student contributed a different artistic perspective, even though most of the artwork was assigned by their art teachers. Jason Crenshaw, Harvey Crenshaw’s father, found the artwork original, creative and unique.
“It’s really cool to see his paintings up next to all this other cool artwork,” Jason Crenshaw said.
Eliana Collazo’s piece “Music = Happy” featured during the CCSD Youth Art Exhibition at the Lamar Dodd School of Art in Athens, Georgia, on Sunday, March 24, 2024. (Photo/Evan Frilingos; @frilingos.photos)
Tremani Edwards, a kindergartener at Whit Davis Elementary School, spreads the love with her artwork’s four big, blue hearts stamped on a background of bright pink and orange stripes. She said that she was inspired by Valentine’s Day for her artwork.
Edwards said that one day, she wants to take pictures of people as a photographer.
Jennifer Berkowitz, an art teacher at Whit Davis Elementary, stood with Edwards as her student’s art was honored during the event’s reception at UGA.
The event encouraged many students to pursue their artistic passions further in life. Many had not had their artwork displayed before and this opportunity reminded them of the value of their artistic expression.
CCSD has been celebrating Youth Art Month at Lamar Dodd every year since the art museum’s opening, said Dan Smith, CCSD Fine Arts, Health, and Physical Education Curriculum Coordinator for CCSD.
“We need well-rounded people,” Smith said. “That’s kind of what the arts do … It’s another way to see the world and interpret things and think about things. So, to be able to give students those creative thinking skills at a young age, they’re able to build off of them for the rest of their lives.”
