Central Valley High displaying student artwork at Spokane Public Library
Central Valley High School is showcasing 60 pieces of student artwork this month at the Spokane Public Library on Main Avenue in downtown Spokane.
About 30 students are represented in the show.
“These students are the cream of the crop,” CV visual and graphic art teacher Kyle Genther said Tuesday.
The featured artists have risen above their peers and shown potential to grow and improve, he said. Some of them take Advanced Placement studio art class, and some plan to pursue art degrees in college, he said.
However, the work the students have created for the show is not supposed to represent the apex of their capabilities, Genther said. The theme of the exhibit, “Ascent,” means “there are artistic summits to work toward,” he said.
The CV art program employs four full-time teachers and has about 500 students, Genther said. Art teacher Rebekah Wilkins-Pepiton was lead organizer for the exhibit. Jenne Hatcher and Genther assisted with assembly and promotion.
To be selected for the exhibit is telling of the group’s skills and talents, he said, highlighting some of the pieces in the show.
“Pour Me Out” is a colored pencil portrait by junior Chloe Poshusta.
“She does fantastic portraits in a unique style that are a detailed and expressive tangled stringlike form that make up the bodies,” Genther said. Poshusta mostly works in pencil or chalk pastel.
A watercolor painting, “Satellite and Darkness,” by senior Jaiden Haley, is another highlight and was used in the promotional poster.
Sophomore Skye Potter painted “A Koi School” in watercolor and ink. It depicts flying ships that also look like koi fish with wings.
Genther said some calligraphy is showcased. “Stars of Glass,” done in India ink, by sophomore Calli Howard, shows hand lettering with gold accents.
It depicts a “telescope looking into the night sky but instead of seeing stars, it sees hanging light bulbs,” he said.
It’s the first time that CV has held an art show at the downtown Spokane library. In the spring, CV will exhibit “Unearth” at the Kress Gallery. That show will be open to CV art students of all skill levels.
A few pieces in “Ascent” will be marked for sale. Other pieces can be negotiated for sale with the artist.
“We really feel we have a strong and growing arts program and appreciate the support from the community for the arts in general,” Genther said.