Students exhibit their artwork at Dane Gallery

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD - Art students from Putnam Vocational High School and Central High School had the opportunity to spend a day with artists last week and to showcase their own work in an exhibit at the Dane Gallery at Indian Orchard Mills.

Putnam Art Instructor Karen Whitney explained to Reminder Publications that although there has been a youth art show at the gallery for the past five years, this was the first year for the immersion program.

Students toured the art studios at the mills spending time with artists working in various mediums as well as going to the new Gallery 137 on Main Street in Indian Orchard.

The culmination of the day was the opening of the art exhibit, which will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday through April 29.

Whitney's art instruction program at Putnam is new and Linda Tammi, assistant principal at Putnam, explained that art plays a key role in a number of the vocations taught at the school. An understanding of design is needed for culinary arts, auto body repair and metal fabrication, Tammi noted.

Putnam recently expanded its art program by hiring another instructor, Tammi added.

Despite the wide interest in computer graphics, none were on exhibit and Whitney said that young artists must first understand traditional skills of drawing, sculpture and painting if they want to go digital.

The art on display is a mix of Whitney's first-year students and Tim O'Donnell's advanced painting class from Central High. O'Donnell said his students must complete a series of paintings as part of the class requirements.

Central student Sarah Bys created a dance related series based on her taking ballet classes. Although some of her paintings show dancers, some show just feet. Bys said she wanted to convey between the differences between the beauty of the dance with the physical toll it can have on the dancers.

Bys said she wants to be a fashion major in color and the painting class has "definitely helped me."

Student Evangelia Murray has been studying art with Whitney for years Whitney has two studios at the mills and said that while she is considering a career in medicine "wherever I go art will follow me."

Other students exhibiting their work include Serena Rooke, Bell Le, Vu Thieu, Christine Pereira, Maearilyz Arroyo, Teresa Skelly, Kendall Junior, Stacie Gumlaw, Yadira Garcia and Chris Colon.