The Oregon Coast Council for the Arts presents the visual art exhibition, “Around the World (and Pizza Boxes),” from April 6 to May 26 in the Classroom Gallery at the Newport Visual Arts Center. The exhibition will include student artwork created during OCCA’s Art Fridays youth-art classes held during fall 2017 and winter 2018. An opening reception for “Around the World (and Pizza Boxes)” will be held at the VAC on Friday, April 6, 5-7pm, with students available to discuss their work.
The Art Fridays program was started in fall 2015 and continues to find success. The fall 2017 program was a seven-week session and included classes on abstract painting on pizza boxes, building clay whistles and illustrating Aesop’s fables. The winter 2018 program was a nine-week session and had students learning art and cultural practices from around the globe, including African block printing on fabric, Mayan metalsmithing and Japanese Shibori Dyeing, among other subjects.
“The “Around the World (and Pizza Boxes)’ exhibition is a testimony to the creativity, talents and dedication of the students, parents, instructors and advisers involved,” say OCCA VAC director Tom Webb. “It’s a one-of-a-kind show making its public debut on April 6 at the VAC. And for that reason alone, pizza will be served!”
Instructors in the Art Fridays fall and winter sessions included Lynn Bishop, Christine Collins, Michael Guerriero, Eileen Hearne, Julie Lamberson, Jan Kenyon, Marcy Kenyon and Tash Wesp.
The Art Fridays program enjoys community support through the OCCA Youth Arts Fund, the Nancy Jane Reid Fund for Youth Arts and the Nye Beach Merchants Association. Various community members serve in volunteer roles and on the OCCA Youth Arts Advisory Group, chaired by Janet Webster.
The Classroom Gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday, noon to 4pm.