Lincoln Students Offer Art Show

LINCOLN — More than 30 students, pre-kindergarten through seventh grade, participated in an after school art program this spring taught by Kathy Snodgrass, Lincoln Elementary School art teacher.

The first art show presented by the students was on display for a week at Lincoln Public Library. The show ended with a reception so that students could show off their work to their parents, friends and the community. The reception was well attended by the community.

This is Snodgrass’ second year to teach art in Lincoln but she has been an art teacher for 20 years. She began her education career as an aide in the Lincoln School District but left to teach art in Fayetteville and Bentonville school districts.

Snodgrass said she started an extended art program at Washington and Happy Hollow schools in Fayetteville 20 years ago and it was very successful. She lives in Lincoln and decided to return to Lincoln to help her own community.

“I helped made a difference elsewhere and wanted to make a difference in my own community,” Snodgrass said.

Students participated in the after school art program once day a week for 16 weeks. Snodgrass said she also helped lead an art program with the after school Adventure Club.

Students studied different artists and their styles and also created recycled art. Artists studied included Georgia O’Keeffe, Piet Mondrian, Pabl Picasso, Andy Warhol and Vincent Van Gogh. Students learned about creating self portraits, nature drawings, how to draw movement, self-expression and realistic drawings.

Fourth grader James Payne said his favorite author was Pablo Picasso and he liked learning about the different phases of his style.

“She ( Snodgrass) was always there. We learned about different artists and how their styles were,” James said.

Mariah Huffmaster, a fifth grader, said she liked working on different projects in the art class.

“She talked to us for five minutes and then we got to go to work,” Mariah said.

Tristan Gilbreath, also a fifth grader, said he liked learning new techniques, such as easier ways to draw people.

Snodgrass said she was excited about what the children learned in only 16 weeks. Her after school program usually lasts an entire year but because of health reasons, she was only able to teach the after school program during the spring semester for 2015.

“Still, the quality of work shown by these students is absolutely fabulous,” Snodgrass said.

Snodgrass expressed her appreciation to the city of Lincoln and Lincoln Adventure Club for donating to the program. This money will be used to for canvases and sketchbooks to help with next year’s after school art class. Mia Davis, a first grader at Lincoln Elementary School, shows a self portrait she created with elementary art teacher Kathy Snodgrass. Mia said she used paint, crayon, markers and an ink pen to make her picture.

Most of the students involved in a new after school art program showed up during a reception held May 22 at Lincoln Public Library. The students’ works of art were on display all week at the library. They’ve been meeting after school once a week for 16...

James Payne, a fourth grader at Lincoln Elementary School, displays one of his pieces of art that was shown at an art show at Lincoln Public Library. Payne participated in an after school art program this semester. One of his favorite parts of the...