Student Artists feel their way around professional gallery

From elementary to high school, students from the Laurens District 55 were given the opportunity to unveil their artwork in a "real gallery".

This is the first little snippet I've written since school let out on the 5th.
It's a small feature story for the Laurens County Advertiser, where I will be writing a lot, hopefully, over the summer.

Background info for out-of-towners: The Artist Coop is a Co-Op art gallery located on Laurens' Historic Courthouse Square.

Exhibit Opens to Display Local Student's Art Work

By Kathleen Brown
For the Advertiser

Students from Laurens District 55 schools joined parents, teachers and artists to enjoy a reception last Thursday for the opening of a student art show hosted by the Artist Coop in Laurens.

The reception allowed the students to view their work, not just on Mom’s refrigerator, but also in a professional gallery setting.

Student artist and E.B. Morse 3rd grader, Willis Long, shows off his oil pastel painting to his dad, Jay Long, at the Artist Coop’s student art show last Thursday. The exhibit features works from Laurens District 55 students, and will remain open to the public until the school year ends.


Art students from Laurens District 55 schools were chosen by their teachers to present their pieces in the third exhibit of its kind held at the Artist Coop. The show offers students a chance to show off to the community what they have accomplished in their art classes.

“I really like drawing the best, and mostly drawing landscapes,” said D.J. Turner, an E.B. Morse 5th grader and 2nd time participant in the show.



D.J. Turner kneels beside his art piece, "Batik Study". Turner is a 5th grader at E.B. Morse Elementary, and he hopes to sell his painting during the Artist Coop's student art show, "It would be nice to make a little money," Turner said.


Many students, like Turner, call art class their favorite part of the school day. That’s one reason the board of directors for the Coop decided to present the student work, according to board member Fay Edge, hoping that the shows will be an encouragement to students in the area who express an interest in art.

The Artist Coop began hosting student shows the beginning of the school year, and hopes to continue the tradition, Edge said.

The present exhibit is the first where students could choose to sell their artwork to the public. This decision has been met with positive feedback from students and teachers.

“They [the students] start to learn that they have the ability to sell something people want,” Kim Deaton, an art teacher at Gray Court and Hickory Tavern, said.

“When they put a price tag on their work, it has value, therefore they have value.”

From batik stained tapestries to retro birdhouses, the student-entered artwork covers a wide range of media.

“The show is great because it lets kids know they can be an artist right now,” said Anne Lane, an E.B. Morse art teacher who has several students represented in the show.

The public is invited to view the exhibit, which is located in the upstairs loft of the gallery. The Artist Coop, located on the Historic Courthouse Square, plans to keep the students’ works on display until the school district closes for the summer.

For more pictures visit the Advertiser's photo gallery here.