Local Educators Display Works at PVCC
On Friday Sept. 20, a diverse crowd ranging from high schoolers to older adults gathered inside the north and south galleries of the V. Earl Dickinson Building for the gallery exhibition opening reception of the Those Who Teach Can art gallery. The gallery features a diverse collection of artwork from art educators at PVCC and Charlottesville City Public Schools (CCPS). From comic strips, to resin on wood, clay sculptures, and acrylic paintings of birds, there is plenty of variety in featured artworks for visitors to enjoy.
Members of the public touring the art gallery were awed by the art. Muhammed, a second semester student at PVCC, said he was “impressed by the feel and depths of layers of each piece.”
When asked how her creative practices connected to her work as an educator, PVCC Dual Enrollment Teacher Laura Chatterson said, “My artmaking informs my teaching and connects me to my students in multiple ways. My goal is that my classroom feels like a supportive space to create. Because I am a maker myself, I know how challenging it can be to work through a piece to completion, and how helpful it is to have someone to encourage, talk through ideas, or trouble with. I see a lot of reciprocity in my classroom – we encourage each other, continue to learn together & build skills. We have a certain creative comradery and a sense that we are all in this together.”
Other educators shared similar sentiments. When asked the same question, Charlottesville High School teacher Amber Westphal said, “My creative practice is intertwined with my teaching practice as I like to work alongside my students on projects. My piece ‘Cultivating Joy’ is my teacher example for a portrait lesson using unusual materials. I used this piece to demonstrate hammering flowers directly into the paper around the existing graphite portrait. It was shocking and playful for the students to watch me embrace potential failure and chaos in class, as flower juices splatter nearer and nearer to my mother’s face. There were squeals of nervous laughter as I continued to mash flowers and that is what cultivating joy in art is all about.”
The gallery is open to the public through Nov. 9 and can be found on the third floor of the V. Earl Dickinson Building. Many of the works are on sale for purchase. Purchase information is available upon request by emailing Chairperson of Visual and Performing Arts Fenella Belle, at fbelle@pvcc.edu.
