Apr. 12, 2024 --  The Lee Road Library was overflowing with district teachers, student-artists and proud families for Opening Night of the Heights Creative Arts Show on April 9th. With work from all seven elementary schools, both middle schools, and multiple classes at Heights High, artistic talent was on full display. 

The excitement was palpable as students scoured the building, pointing out their creations and proudly posing for pictures. Hundreds of pieces, from paintings, photographs, and line drawings to jewelry and ceramics, were mounted throughout the building, all featuring the student’s name, grade, school and the title of their work. Some of the pieces had additional notices, including 1st, 2nd and 3rd place ribbons chosen by their art teachers. A select few boasted “purchase awards,” for those lucky students whose work was purchased by a community member.

Each elementary school’s art teacher selected three pieces to win recognition, including Canterbury 3rd grader Declan Crowe’s pointillism titled “The King of 3D,” which earned his school’s second place prize, Oxford kindergartner Xerique Foster’s colorful rendition of a “Basquiat Crown,” which earned third place, and Fairfax 5th grader Lillian Ganter’s painting of a cardinal on a snowy tree branch, titled “The Lonely Cardinal,” which won her school’s first place prize.

The Best in Show honor for all elementary schools went to Canterbury 4th grader Jasper Nogi’s mind-bending “Ode to Symmetry.” Each student winner went home with a certificate and a gift card to local art store Blick Art Materials, provided by either Blick or the Heights Schools Foundation.

As patrons moved from the children’s room of the library to the teen room to view art from Monticello and Roxboro Middle Schools, styles and topics got slightly more sophisticated. With cityscapes, paintings, graffiti art, three-dimensional spaces, and even pottery, students used a range of artistic styles to express themselves.  

There was recognition for 1st through 3rd place art plus Honorable Mentions chosen by each of the two art teachers at each building. Best in Show for Middle School was awarded to Monticello 8th grader Riccy Galdamez’s intricate drawing of a ladybug, titled “Rame: Beautiful and Chaotic at the Same Time.”

Heights High’s many art classes, from Art Explorations to AP Art, Ceramics to Metals/Jewelry and Photography, all had works entered into the show, displayed either in the Dobama gallery or the lobby display cases. Teachers from each genre recognized their top three pieces, with Best in Show going to junior Antonia Casucci’s untitled ceramic masterpiece. 

The full list of winners, along with images of their creations can be found here.

In addition to being a community-wide celebration of the fact that “Art Changes Lives,” one of the most exciting aspects of the show, to the students at least, is the opportunity to sell their work to a community member. Art made by elementary and middle school students can be purchased for $50, while high school creations cost $100. All proceeds go directly to the student-artist and works will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis until the end of the show on May 3rd. Anyone who visits the show can snap a picture of their desired piece and send it to Monticello art teacher Angelique Troy at [email protected]. 

This impressive district-wide gathering was made possible thanks to the collaborative efforts of art teachers in all ten buildings, with the guidance of the Heights High Art Department. The Heights Libraries generously donates the space, Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby provided refreshments from AVI for guests to enjoy on Opening Night, while Blick, Mobius and the Heights Schools Foundation all supplied gift certificates and cash awards to winning artists.  

The show is free and open to the community, who can enjoy the artistic talent of CH-UH students through May 3rd.