High school and college students are displaying their talents at Capital Arts over the next few weeks.
The gallery for "Emerging Artists Exhibition" takes place today through April 23, with a reception 5-7 p.m. April 21. The invitational exhibition will showcase the talents of young artists in area high schools and colleges; it replaced the "Ruth Hogan Children's Exhibition."
The goal for the exhibit is not only to provide a place for artists to gain exposure and exhibit their art, but also provide opportunities for them to connect with professional artists in the community, Capital Arts Executive Director Sarah Scheffer said.
"It's a beautiful show with highly unique and skilled artists ... and most of them are high school submissions," Scheffer said. "I'd like people to see how much high school students do in the school system, and grow that appreciation toward art programs in schools."
The show's reception April 21 will be especially important, she said, as that will be the place for families to see their children's work and connect local artists.
"There aren't a whole lot of opportunities outside their schools, and we want to provide that for them," Scheffer said.
There are a variety of mediums in the gallery, from surreal pencil drawings, colorful paintings, printmaking, cardboard and wire, ceramics -- and even origami. Scheffer is especially excited to see trends in students' artwork: There were many paintings submitted with blues and oranges at the focus and ceramics pieces that used out-of-the-box ideas. For the printmaking submissions, there is evident inspiration from Andy Warhol.
With all of them, the director has seen a lot of professionalism and skill.
"It's a great show; I would definitely describe their work as professional," Scheffer said.
She recommends people check out Capital Arts' social media pages for sneak peeks and updates on the exhibit.
"Emerging Artists Exhibition" can be viewed during Capital Arts' hours: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursdays, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Art pickup will be April 25. For more information, visit their website at capitalarts.org/exhibition-schedule or Facebook page at facebook.com/CapitalArtsJCMO.
Scheffer is also gearing up for another Capital Arts event for high schoolers, Sketch Day.
The annual tradition hosted by Jefferson City Art Club, Historical City of Jefferson and Capital Arts will take place April 25 and focuses on architecture and buildings within Jefferson City. Sign up and details for the event can be found at bit.ly/3IRfuQb.
Capital Arts' “Emerging Artists Exhibition” features many different mediums by local high school and college students, including origami by Calvary Lutheran junior Izayah Spurling. (India Garrish/News Tribune)