February 3−April 21, 2024
Winter Opening: Friday, February 9 | 6:30-9pm
Surrey, BC – Surrey Art Gallery’s biennial Art by Surrey Elementary Students exhibit, in partnership with the Surrey School District and Surrey Art Teachers Association, is on display at the Gallery from February 3 until April 21, 2024. Admission is free.
See the world through the eyes of a child this winter. Developed in cooperation with Surrey School District 36 and its teachers, this show presents paintings, drawings, collages, and more created by students from 18 of Surrey’s elementary schools. From collaborative sculpture to illustration, there is something for everyone to enjoy at this celebration of creativity, burgeoning talent, and integrated learning.
The purpose of this exhibition is more than a display of elementary student talent. Each artwork demonstrates creative thinking and skill development in a variety of media, and showcases the outstanding accomplishments of young artists. The accompanying artist and teacher statements indicate how teachers are successfully bringing together studies in art, literature, history, science, and geography in their classrooms in inventive ways. For example, Penny Chen’s grade six class produced artworks in the style of the great Japanese printmaker Hokusai to learn more about perspective, and the study of natural phenomena like water.
“Each of these artworks demonstrate talent and original thinking,” says Gallery assistant curator Rhys Edwards. “I am inspired by both the creativity of local artmaking by elementary students and the serious dedication to learning practiced by their teachers.”
The Gallery has been presenting art by Surrey School District students since 1983. These displays provide the community, parents, teachers, and students with opportunities to share and celebrate the creative accomplishments of young people attending the District’s public schools in Surrey and White Rock, and to recognize the value of visual art education as an integral part of the curriculum.
Other exhibits at the Gallery include un/tangling, un/covering, un/doing, an exploration of the politics, rituals, and symbolism of hair (ends March 17), and Josh Hite: A Vista, a playful video installation combining theatre, performance, and art (ends April 21).
