‘Art for All’ Spotlights Durango Student Art

A student art extravaganza greets visitors to the Main Mall in Durango. It's a local celebration of National Youth Arts Month which celebrates visual arts education for youth students of all ages. You're watching the Local News Network brought to you by 2180 Lighting & Design Studio, and Kroegers Ace Hardware. I'm Connor Shreve. 2023 marks the first year Durango School District 9-R has celebrated with a display in the Main Mall, allowing hundreds of pieces to be featured.

We have to thank the Hermesman family for donating the space, the Main Mall. This year we're occupying one of the suites on the first floor of the Main Mall, and each school has been given a space to exhibit some of the best student work from this school year.

National Youth Art Month takes place in March, supported by the National Art Education Association. It's intended to celebrate visual arts education for K through 12 students across the country. Durango High School Art teacher Krista Karpel says the Art for All display is a way for the district to thank parents and the wider community for supporting arts in Durango schools.

It is a part of the process. We want all of our students to not just create beautiful, amazing work, but we want them to show it off, exhibit it, be proud of their work, and celebrate their experience. It's also just a huge part of celebrating the visual arts program in Durango 9-R.

District superintendent, Dr. Karen Cheser, says the display represents how much dedication the district gives the arts.

Oh, I'm so proud of our students and amazed at even the youngest students, the most beautiful art that they're creating. We really celebrate the arts here at the Durango School District. It's where we can show all of our portrait of a graduate competencies, obviously, creativity. These are skills that will help our students throughout their careers.

The last day to view the display is Sunday, March 12th, but the district's celebration of the arts won't end then.

We also are going to be presenting student selected works to the school board at the end of the month. So this is part of a few different things that Durango 9-R has going on to celebrate the visual arts program.

Educators say immersing students in the arts prepares them for real-world problem solving, critical thinking and design, among other skills. For more information about this story and others, visit durangolocal.news. Thanks for watching the Local News Network. I'm Connor Shreve.