Not only does April signify the beginning of spring, it also serves as the kick-off to the West Salem School District K-12 Honors Art Exhibit.

The exhibit is at the Heider Center the remainder of this month and part of next. It provides budding artists in the area a rare opportunity to showcase their creative talents in a professional setting.

Pieces in the show range from paintings, pottery, self-portraits, mixed media, and drawings to found objects.“The medium is wide open,” said Quenten Brown, West Salem High School art teacher.

“If you could put it in a cliche, it would be ‘the best of the best,’” Brown said. “It’s a way to showcase individual talent while letting the community see what art education is up to in the classroom.”

The exhibit — which includes about 80 works — will remain on display in the Heider Center until May 8. The artists, who range in age from 5 to 18, have had their work chosen by art teachers from the high school, middle school and elementary school.

Angie Stefferud-Johnson, the elementary art teacher who organized the yearly event, said she believes the exhibit accomplishes a lot of worthwhile things.

“An art show is a very positive thing for any artist,” she said. “It is like the performance for an actor/musician, the game for an athlete or the publishing of a story for a writer. It is the end result of the creative process.

“It especially encourages a young artist to continue by giving them a little recognition and encouragement,” she continued.

“Art is individual and very quiet, the show is a time for people to look at art and talk about it in a group setting.”

Stefferud-Johnson, who works with K-5 students, said she picks works that are excellent examples of the current assignment and from students that she knows put forth extra effort.

Brown said he feels the current harvest of artwork from his students might be among the best he’s ever seen. “Their contributions are unique this year — the work is much more interesting and thought-provoking than in some previous years,” he said.

For Stefferud-Johnson the reactions of her young artists when they see their work displayed is priceless. “The kids love to see their work on display and they love to show everyone they know — sometimes even people they don’t know.

“For me it is fun to watch families come in together,” she said. “Of course, many pictures are taken of the artist and the piece. They (the families) are all dressed up, often bringing extended family members along as well.”

Brown mentioned that one of the nice things about the exhibit is that, on the night of the artist’s reception —it was April 14 this year — school board members meet with the artists and choose works to hang in the school board meeting room for the coming year. “It makes a nice connection between the students and the school board,” Brown said.

According to Stefferud-Johnson, the biggest benefits might go to the artists, their parents and the Heider Center itself. “Many families ask if we will keep doing this — which of course we will! They also very often say they had no idea of what an art show or exhibit really is,” Stefferud-Johnson said. “They don’t realize that it is a come-and-go, look-at-and-enjoy-the-art-at-your-own-pace kind of a place.

“Every year we hear ‘We didn’t realize we had so many talented artists right here in West Salem,’” she continued. “We also hear many comments about the beautiful Heider Center where we display our student masterpieces.”

WSHS journalism student Cassandra Trautsch contributed to this article.