Anchorage School District hosts 50th annual Art Month Show

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Anchorage School District Fine Arts Department is hosting its 50th Annual Student Art Show through April 1.

The show features about 750 different art pieces from grades K-12 from all Anchorage schools. In total, 1,300 students participated with either individual work or special group projects.

“To be able to share what they’re doing in school with their families, and to be proud to show that to the community, it means a lot to the students,” Lisa Miller, the district’s communication specialist, said.

Student’s art will be displayed at six locations around the Anchorage Municipality; the Anchorage Museum, 5th Avenue Mall, Midtown Mall, Muldoon Library, Z.J. Loussac Library and Eagle River/Chugiak Library.

Students said that they were both in disbelief and excited when they were approached about their art pieces being featured in the show.

“I didn’t think in a million years I would be chosen to do this,” Marilyn Pier, a Senior at Bartlett High School, said.

For sixth-grader Jasiah Herrington from Bayshore Elementary School, the excitement left him speechless.

“To be honest, I was going crazy,” Herrington said. “I feel like I can’t really express myself from outside of my head, but in my head, I feel like I was bouncing off walls and breaking buildings. That’s all how I can express it.”

Herrington said he is excited to show his work to his two older brothers and looks forward to having a chance to share his work with his family.

“The most part I was really excited about to be honest is my family getting to see it in the community, because my family being able to see my art is the best thing to me,” Herrington said.

The art show presents an opportunity for students to connect with the public and share a story about themselves. Art, they say, is a way to express themselves on a personal level.

“I drew my cousin. Like, she is really special to me,” Janisa Nguyen, a sophomore at Bartlett High School, said. “I really miss her cause she moved back to Mexico. So I wanted to draw her as a reminder of who she is.”

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