Caitlin Cass (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
As I promised before I left on vacation, Great Salt Bay Community School reporter Caitlin Cass is debuting her monthly column-within-my-column in this issue of The Lincoln County News. Here she is, reporting on the recent Young Artist Showcase at the school:
GSB Young Artist Showcase offers a variety of art forms
By Caitlin Cass
The recent Great Salt Bay Young Artist Showcase exhibited many different art forms. The showcase was held on March 22 in the Great Salt Bay cafeteria. The Young Artist Showcase is a yearly gathering where the visual and performing arts programs at GSB come together to show how much they have worked on over the year.
The night started at 6 p.m. with an exhibition of the art hanging all around the walls. Then, small instrument ensembles performed, including body percussion and strings. GSB writing teacher Anne Plummer talked about the new GSB Online Gallery of Arts and Literature, and then there were vocal duets and solos. Camden LeBel, an eighth-grade performer, said, “Effort was put into every last detail of the whole night. All of the performance art was wonderfully executed, and the visual art was amazing as well. I could really tell how much work the school had put into this concert.”
Honora Boothby, an eighth-grader at GSB, has been a featured artist for two years in the art show. “I’ve been doing art my whole life,” she said, “and it’s awesome that the art teachers give younger kids the opportunity to showcase their art, since it will give them the courage to show it when they’re older.” Boothby has been in many other art shows, including the recent Skidompha art show. “Even though that was my last art show here at GSB, I hope to put my art in many more galleries,” she said.
Just from peeking into the cafeteria as the show is set up, one can see that this is an inclusive art show. Pieces of art from students in kindergarten through eighth grade line the walls. “I think it’s wonderful how students are able to perform and showcase their art in a safe environment,” said Boothby.
LeBel talked about her experience with singing. “I would love to sing and write in the future. I never took any singing risks in the past, and this year I’ve really stepped out of my comfort zone and pushed myself to enjoy singing in front of an audience,” she said.
In this year’s Young Artist Showcase, LeBel performed in three pieces. “After coaching from Miss Anne-Marie and practice by myself, I know that I need to put effort into everything I do, which I definitely didn’t know when I was younger,” she said.
This art program at GSB has made a great impact on the students’ lives. “I think that it empowers students to see how their work compares to other students in a positive way, and I think that it teaches them to believe in their abilities,” said Plummer. This art show is a way for students of all ages to exhibit their talents.
Polly Steadman in Brunswick: One of my favorite local artists, Polly Steadman, has a show of her vibrant abstract oil paintings up at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, at 1 Middle St. in Brunswick, through Tuesday, April 11. “When you’re in Brunswick, I hope you will have time to see my paintings in the large, lovely space the Unitarian Church gives to art,” Steadman wrote in a recent email, adding that the church is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday services take place at 10 a.m.
“Silence is so accurate.” – American painter Mark Rothko
(Email me at clbreglia@lcnme.com or write me a letter in care of The Lincoln County News, P.O. Box 36, Damariscotta, ME 04543. I love to hear from readers.)
