Since the mid 1980s, Cavalier (N.D.) High School has been collecting the best art created by its students. Beginning Sunday, the collection finally will have its first official home in the school's brand-new art gallery.
Before, the art hung in an upstairs library where few people saw it. Now, with the new gallery in the school's main entrance hallway, anyone who comes to school, be it for a concert or sports event, will pass by it.
Cavalier's longtime art teacher Doug Anderson is excited about the new gallery and what it says about the school, community and its commitment to the arts.
"I'm just so thankful people saw this vision and took it upon themselves to fundraise and raise thousands of dollars for something unique to a rural school in North Dakota," Anderson said. "It's a great honor for our students, our school and our community."
The gallery's grand opening will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Each piece of student art will be hung in its own clear case, with the name and a photo of the artist, and where the artist is today. Visitors will be treated to piano music and hors d'oeuvres in the school lunchroom.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Cavalier Arts and Crafts Society is one of the groups that's played a part in establishing the gallery.
"We wanted to bring (the art) where the public could see it and enjoy it," said society member Barb Gregory. "We wanted to share this art work with the community. We wanted the community to know how important this is."
The Cavalier school has an outstanding art program and instructor in Anderson, Gregory said. Each year, the school has a student art show judged by independent adjudicators, after which two pieces are purchased, framed and donated to the art department. There are now more than 40 pieces in the collection, with the first piece dating back to 1985, she said.
The Arts and Crafts Society raised nearly $10,000 for the gallery, Gregory said. Laurel Reuter, executive director of the North Dakota Museum of Art, came to Cavalier to help arrange the art work for display.
Patricia Hinkle of Cavalier was one of the "original instigators" of the art collection and gallery. Because of her admiration for student art, in the mid 1980s her family began purchasing a piece or two a year and having it framed, then donating it back to the art department. In recent years, the Arts and Crafts Society has purchased pieces as well.
"I wanted the public to be aware of how kids use art," Hinkle said. "It's not just a fluff course." Hinkle also made it her project to find out what had become of each student who had art in the school collection. That information will be included on cards next to their art in the gallery.
This is Anderson's 34th year as an art teacher at Cavalier, which has 156 students in high school and a total enrollment of 431. Anderson, who also teaches social studies, laughed when he described his position as art instructor as "supported, but not spoiled." Cavalier is an artistic community and it supports the arts, he said. The school's administrators, including the current superintendent, Frank Schill, have noted strong enrollment in art classes and the benefits it offers students, and they've supported the program.
"That makes a big difference, especially in tight financial times," Anderson said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The art program complements the school's music program, and it has found academic ties to English and history, he said. His students also help the community by making posters for events, designing ads and doing other projects.
"If the community supports the program, by golly, my students will support the community," he said.
The event:
-- What: Grand opening of the Cavalier High School Art Gallery.
-- When and where: 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Cavalier (N.D.) High School.
-- What to expect: A look at the 40-plus works in the new gallery; visitors can enjoy music and hors d'oeuvres.
