ST. GEORGE — “Capturing Zion” is the annual Springdale Elementary School Zion Kids Art Show theme. Their work is on display at the Canyon Community Center from April 5 through May 18.

Students were given cameras for a week to capture landscapes. Springdale Elementary Parent Teacher Organization president Kyla Topham said the students worked with local landscape photographer David Pettit this year.

“My experience with the children was very gratifying. Not only were the kids very attentive and totally engaged in the project, but the results were amazingly good,” Pettit said. “What I took away from the project was how unique each child’s vision of the natural world was. Of the 47 children participating, no two images were the same. It reminds me that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, literally.”

The students took home cameras for a week to capture landscapes. Tophaam said each year, the school does different types of art; last year, the project was abstract paintings. The students’ artwork hangs in the Community Center, next to the Springdale Library. The gallery is where the hallway connects the two areas.

Topham said the Opening Reception on April 6 was very special for the students, community members and town council members who attended.

“I think that having the kids debut their art in the gallery and then having the audience come and see their art and the adults they look at it and the kids can see that the adults are impressed,” Topham said. “I think that just adds an extra layer of pride for the students that they have created something that is impressive. It’s really, really awesome to see our kids proud of what they’ve done and the effort they’ve put into their pieces.”

Many art mediums have been taught over the years, usually for three months at a time at the elementary school. Artists from the community donate their time to guide the children in different types of art such as photography, watercolors, photography, sculptures, paper weaving and three-dimensional art.

Topham said most art instruction in school is limited to paper, pencils and crayons. But their program draws on the experience of real artists who teach something they’re passionate about and the students get to use real art tools.

“It’s just another level that I think our kids get a great advantage to experience that and know that art,” Topham said. “There’s a next step to art and you can pursue that and you can be good at it with practice and a little bit of education.”

She said the open house lets students and their families see their artwork hung in a gallery. The older kids show up in their best dress and have adults coming to see what they did.

“It’s just such an experience and that you can really see the pride on the kid’s face,” Topham said.

Pettit said Lizz Totten, with the Parent Teacher Organization at the school, asked him to work with Angie Frabasilio, Michelle Bonner and Stacy Christensen to create this year’s art project and exhibit for the school.

Pettit worked with the students in three groups based on age/grade. He spent time outside with each group of children, where he talked to them about some basics of photography, like how to frame a subject using a little device he created for each student. He said it was a simple cut-out square of matt-board which they could hold up to their eyes and “frame” a photograph.

“I demonstrated the operation of the point-and-shoot digital cameras and depending on the group’s age, I gave them pointers on lighting, such as the best time of day and sun angle to use when shooting, as well as composition and foreground,” Pettit said.

He asked the students to take photos of things that “spoke to them.” The adult chose each student’s best work when the students turned in all the images. Then each student was instructed to pick a title for the photograph and write a short artist statement about it.

Topham said the school is open to all types of mediums and if an artist is interested in teaching a class or workshop, they can contact the school.

“We’re here to help and support and it’s not as hard as somebody might think. It’s really fun,” Topham said. “The kids are usually really interested and engaged, which is so that makes it so much easier.”

Support for purchasing materials comes from the community through organizations such as ZARTs and the Rotary Club. This year, Pure Art from St. George donated all the labor for framing the artwork.

The public can also support the program by visiting the website, which will now sell limited edition metal art prints of the photography of the Springdale Elementary students.

Photo gallery

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