The EMC Art Show not only showcases the incredible artwork that high school students create in their classes, but also gives them credit for the hours of tedious work they spend making their beautiful pieces of art. This event is particularly new to the Gretna Dragons since the school joined the Eastern Midlands Conference this year.
Students work hard for days, and even weeks, to create the artwork that they think best represents them. There are many talented artists in all art classes and some are already prepared to take the trip down to near the Old Market in Omaha for the art show. One of the artists heading to Omaha in a couple of months is senior Ariana Aristy who has a couple of paintings entered already. She said she has never been to an art show before and is excited to show off the art she loves to make. She also said she believes that art is a way to express yourself.
“I like being able to create things that weren’t there before and be able to come up with my own ideas and make something out of it,” she said.
At the moment, all of the pieces entered are acrylic paintings. A few colored pencil pieces along with some pen and ink drawings are also expected to make an appearance to represent the Gretna Dragons, according to Amy Oliver, one of Gretna High School’s art teachers.
The art show will be held at Hot Shops, 1301 Nichols St., in downtown Omaha on April 17. Hot Shops is an old mattress factory turned into an art studio. For this art show, the students take an entire day off to travel to Hot Shops. The day includes a full itinerary of contests, shops, galleries and lunch. The students spend most of their time there visiting shops inside of the building where they learn more about art techniques such as glass blowing and pottery. The students also have fun outside the competition space where the art blooms in little galleries.
“We usually go to lunch, and, just because we’re down at the Old Market, there are a lot of little galleries, and Mr. Moore and I usually take the group and we walk around,” Oliver said. “It’s a really nice day for the students.”
