The City of Lacombe’s Art Endowment Fund is currently displaying Lacombe Composite High School’s (LCHS) student art projects.
On Tuesday, Art Endowment Fund Executive Assistant Maureen MacKenzie and LCHS art teacher Stacey Hunter hung the student’s art in a hall of the Lacombe Memorial Centre (LMC).
In total, 13 pieces of art adorn the LMC walls and feature designs like self-portraits, landscapes and a Michael Jackson portrait made out of instant coffee.
The Art Endowment Fund switches the art displays every two months and tries to showcase student art at least once a year.
“It shows the community and visitors how important the arts are in expanding the kid’s creativity,” said MacKenzie. The students in Hunter’s art 30 and drawing 35 classes were able to submit whatever work they decided on from their course and it resulted in a wide variety of illustrations.
“What I wanted was for students to choose a work they had done that they felt best represented what they could do,” said Hunter, who has been teaching art at LCHS since 2012.
“I told them it was like their best foot forward.”
The Art Endowment Fund enjoys supporting young artists in the community and does so through various student art awards.
In April every year there is an art competition for students in the Wolf Creek Public School Division. First prize wins $250 and there is a runner-up category that wins $100.
Students are able to use their winnings to buy art supplies or art classes to further their art education.
MacKenzie said now more than ever youth are turning towards art and expressing themselves creatively.
“With students we never know what’s going on at home or with their friends,” said MacKenzie.
“So having an art form and being able to express those feelings and get them off their chest … is really important.”
The Art Endowment fund is always looking for donations to help fund their various awards. Anyone who is interested in donation can do so by visiting City Hall or going to the Art Endowment Fund’s website.
The display will be up until the end of January and is located in the hallway to Anna Maria’s café.