The Moss Arts Center’s “Young Artists” exhibition returns with an inspiring selection of original works created by students from Christiansburg High School that explore the interpretations and influences of creative writing and literature.
“Pages” opens with a reception on Dec. 5 from 5-7 p.m. The exhibition will be on view in the center’s Ruth C. Horton Gallery and Francis T. Eck Exhibition Corridor, located at 190 Alumni Mall, through Dec. 15. The center’s galleries and all related events are free and open to the public.
A selection of works across various media will feature the imagination and talent of students in the visual arts, performing arts, English, and creative writing, with a special focus on collaborative projects. “Pages” will include drawings, paintings, sculptures, and yearbook illustrations, as well as masks, costuming, and photos of special effect makeup created by students from the high school’s theater department.
Creative writing students are crafting written responses to their peers’ works of art in the form of poetry, while visual arts students are creating portraits inspired by student writing. Christiansburg High School theater students will perform short skits during the opening reception created specifically for the event.
“Pages” is coordinated by Meggin Hicklin, Moss Arts Center exhibitions program manager, in partnership with Christiansburg High School teachers Carrie Lyons (art), Laura Graham (art), Scott Whitehead (creative writing), Makala Witten (theater), and Liz Hollie (yearbook).
“Meggin approached us with the idea of tying literature into our art,” Lyons explains. “We looked at the ways Christiansburg High School’s art, creative writing, theater, and yearbook classes have worked together in the past and realized that these collaborations were essentially responses, whether an artistic response to words or words as a response to art. I hope our students see the correlation of art with other disciplines and how artists and writers and actors are inspired by each other. I hope they are proud of their efforts to create and display in a professional setting and that they understand the influence their work can have on a larger audience.”
The Moss Arts Center’s galleries are regularly open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
