Very Important Artists

Some artists dream of having their artwork on display in one of their city’s most important buildings. Some artists dream of creating a portrait of one of their city’s most important people. Some artists dream of having their artwork on display at one of their city’s most important art galleries. Two weeks ago, the young artists at Patchwork Central got to do all three!

For our March Junior Leader Outing for Arts & Smarts participants in grades 5-8, we had an artists’ afternoon on the town. It was such a momentous occasion that we even invited the 4th graders to join us as Junior Leaders in Training.

We began in the Evansville Mayor’s Office to view Kylie’s painting that Mayor Lloyd Winnecke purchased at Patchwork’s Soup, Salad, & Style fundraiser. The spiky, green and orange flower painting is now on display in the mayor’s conference room for everyone to see. All of the Junior Leaders had a chance to introduce themselves to Mayor Winnecke. He asked them about their interests and he told them about his own. He sang a little for us and told us about the important speech he was working on.

Aiden was the last Junior Leader to share her interests with Mayor Winnecke. When she told him that she likes to draw, he asked if she would draw his portrait. Many an artist would have buckled under the pressure, but she quickly agreed. The mayor located a pencil and paper, and Aiden set about making her sketch. Everyone in the Mayor’s Office admired her finished piece.

While she finished her drawing, the rest of the group traveled to the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana where a large piece of their art was on display as part of the Young at Art show. We viewed artwork by other area youth, and we admired the Patchwork piece that hung in a prominent spot. The kids told Andrea, the Gallery Director, about their individual contributions to the larger piece.

Afterward, we followed Main Street as we walked back to our cars. For some of the kids, it was their first time seeing the architecture of downtown Evansville. They were impressed with everything they discovered in their hometown.

It was a magical day that any artist would envy.

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