GMC Prep hosting student exhibit during National Reading and Youth Art Month

Published 3:00 pm Monday, March 27, 2023

In celebration of both National Reading Month and Youth Art Month, Georgia Military College Prep School will host an art exhibit highlighting each area of learning in a unique way.

The exhibit, hosted by the GMC Prep School Art program and the Sibley Cone Library, will feature middle and high school art students’ third quarter art projects. The project combines both literacy and art by giving students an opportunity to select their favorite book and illustrate or redesign a book cover, a scene from the book, or paint their favorite characters from the book.

“Pursuing a Youth Art Month Exhibit with the school library has been a wonderful collaboration,” said Paige Barlow, art teacher at GMC Prep School. “It gave me a different perspective on the students’ interests through reading material that they enjoyed. Their art projects, which were canvas paintings about a particular book they liked, helped me see their passions. It sparked conversation and connected students with similar interests. We are very excited to share their canvas paintings with the public in the Sibley Cone Library.”

Students studied color theory, skills and techniques that they carried into the canvas painting book project.

“We had been studying color theory and design, elements of art and principles of art, and so it was just really trying to get [their] thoughts and expression onto a canvas in a matter that they liked,” Barlow said. “They were really encouraged to recreate a design and not just copy a book cover.”

Students’ paintings consist of a variety of genres, and they had the chance to paint them in their own style and interpretation of the books they selected. Barlow said one eighth grade student’s painting was inspired by “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” A seventh grade student was inspired by Prince Harry’s autobiography, “Spare,” to paint a picture of the late Princess Dianna holding him as a baby. One sixth grade student based their painting off of the popular “Baby-Sitters Club” series.

“It was fun to really see all of the different genres that they liked…,” Barlow said. “It sparked a lot of conversation in the room.”

Erin Newton, director of Library Services, said that while reading may seem like a solitary hobby, it’s actually very social.

“Students love to talk about their favorite books,” she said, “characters they admire, worlds they wish they could explore, facts they’ll remember forever. This exhibit allows students yet another way for them to express their love of books. I’m so impressed with the attention to detail, and our students obviously enjoyed this project.”

She said her hope is that this project allowed students to really visualize fictional characters and worlds, adding their own interpretation of someone else’s literary work and using texture and technique to add their personal touch to stories enjoyed by thousands. And, she also hopes they learned that literature is a form of art.

The theme for the exhibit is “Bringing Communities Together through Reading and Art,” and Barlow said she hopes that is just what the exhibit will do. She encouraged everyone to attend the exhibit and meet the artists.

“We hope teachers and staff members and people will be there just to spark conversation and bring communities together through reading and art,” she said.

The canvas paintings from third quarter art students in grades 6, 7, 8, and 12 will be on display in the Sibley Cone Library through March 30. The community is encouraged to attend the closing reception on March 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.