By Khalida Sarwari
After showcasing the artwork of college instructors in February, this month West Valley College is shifting the focus on the works of local high school students.
The college is hosting the inaugural Silicon Valley High School Art Invitational exhibit, which will feature more than 30 works created by 25 students at Bellarmine Prep and Lynbrook High School. The exhibit will run through March 21 at the West Valley College Art Gallery in the student center.
The exhibit includes drawings, paintings, sculpture and ceramics. For the West Valley gallery, which previously hosted the visual arts exhibits for the South Bay “Olympiad of the Arts,” the goal is to revive a tradition of an annual showcase of the best high school art from the area.
“We started small this year, and we’re hoping to grow it,” said Jason Challas, an art instructor at West Valley College. “We want to get more of the local area high schools involved.”
The college plans to hold the exhibition on an annual basis and to have juried awards in future years to fill the void left by the discontinuation of Olympiad of the Arts, an annual juried competition in the arts featuring local high schools. The event, which relied largely on grants and donations, was a casualty of the recession, Challas said.
The community is invited to a reception for the artists on March 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the art gallery, located on the lower level of the student center near the main Fruitvale Avenue entrance to West Valley College. The reception will be an opportunity to meet and talk with the featured artists.
Gallery hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Next month, West Valley will host the end-of-year student show from April 15 through May 9.
For more information about the exhibit, call 408.741.2192 or visitfinearts.westvalley.edu/gallery.htm.
High school art work is on display at inaugural West Valley College event
