Local students are “capturing a moment” at the Burnaby Art Gallery’s annual Arts Alive exhibition this month.
More than 83 pieces of student art in various media are now on display in the longstanding student show, and a further 760 works are featured online.
“It’s a nice acknowledgement for the children to come every year to the opening and to see that their artwork is displayed in a gallery,” said Carmen Lam, the art gallery’s promoter. “It’s important to be involved with community and also stress the importance of arts and culture, especially with children at an early age.”
Lam should know. Her art was featured in the show back when she was an aspiring artist at Rosser Elementary – or so her dad tells her.
The 2003 Alpha secondary grad, who now has an art history degree from UBC, doesn’t actually remember being in the show, but she does remember how important the arts were to her when she was going through school.
“They’re good for shaping a child’s foundation years, making you well rounded, instead of just always in the library studying,” Lam said. “I think that was why it was important for me to take art anyway.”
This year’s Arts Alive exhibition showcases work from 16 different elementary schools, with each piece created around this year’s theme: “capturing a moment.”
But the creativity didn’t stop when the show opened on April 17.
During its month-long run, 21 classes will tour the gallery, and participating students will capture a moment of their own through educational art projects facilitated by gallery staff.
Arts Alive runs until May 17 in the lower gallery.
