STUDENT ART SHOWCASED AT THE LEGISLATIVE BUILDING

Saskatchewan students filled Cumberland Gallery at the Legislative Building with nearly 50 works of original art this morning.  The eighth annual Minister of Learning’s Art Collection exhibit is sponsored by the Saskatchewan Society for Education through Art (SSEA) and Saskatchewan Learning.

“This event is not a competition between students, but rather a tribute to the talent of Saskatchewan art students and to the success of art education programs in our province,” Learning Minister Deb Higgins said.  “I am truly excited by this sampling of excellent work created by the provincial arts education curriculum in our schools.”

The student art display helps celebrate May as Art Education Month in Saskatchewan.  Each student received a congratulatory message from the Premier and a Certificate of Recognition from Saskatchewan Learning and the SSEA.  The student works will remain on display at Cumberland Gallery until the end of May.

“This annual celebration provides us with an opportunity to focus on the immense contribution that quality visual art education makes to our lives,” SSEA president Kim Strange said.  “Art is not an extra, but rather a medium that gives voice to the world around us in a way that words can never express.  The SSEA is proud to congratulate each of the artists in this collection and equally proud to salute the art educators who helped these students make these works a reality.”

The SSEA approached all schools in the province to provide artwork to be selected for this collection.  Students whose art is on display are from the following communities: Bruno, Davidson, Frontier, Gravelbourg, Laird, Lloydminster, Marcelin, Outlook, Regina and Saskatoon.

“There are many benefits for students to explore their creative selves with the arts,” Higgins said.  “Research indicates that students who are engaged in art education programs have higher grades, better attendance at school and are usually more actively involved in community and leadership activities.”

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For more information, contact:

Jacquie McLean
Learning
Regina
Phone: 306-787-5609
Email: jmclean@sasked.gov.sk.ca

Cameron Nicolle
Saskatchewan Society for Education through Art
Saskatoon
Phone: 1-800-667-7732