MJC gallery to showcase art by area’s high school students

Hundreds of pieces of high school students’ art – drawings, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography and more – were delivered by teachers to the Modesto Junior College Art Gallery on Thursday.

The works will be on display Saturday through Thursday as Stanislaus County’s celebration of the nationwide Youth Art Month. “We have 30 to 40 teachers bringing in their students’ work today,” said Johansen High School art teacher Vicky Boese, one of the show’s chairmen. “There could be 300 to 400 pieces of art countywide (each teacher is allowed to submit a maximum of 10 entries). It’s a big show.”

Students’ works will be judged, with awards of first through third place in each category, as well as honorable mentions in categories with large numbers of entries. A Retired Teachers Award and Best of Show also will be presented.

“They’re bringing in some beautiful stuff,” Boese said as the receiving period was near its close Thursday. “It keeps getting richer and richer” as more entries arrived.

She said students who attend the show are amazed at how much better their work looks in the gallery than in the classroom, surrounded by tools and clutter. “Against a nice, clean wall, it does look so professional when they see it in the gallery.”

The art gallery is on the MJC East Campus, 435 College Ave., and exhibit hours are noon to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.

An awards reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, with the awards ceremony at 8.

For more information, email Boese at boese.v@monet.k12.ca.us.

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 6:23 PM with the headline "MJC gallery to showcase art by area’s high school students."