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The hundreds of Conroe ISD staff members who work at the district’s administration building in Conroe now have hundreds of vibrant and creative reminders of why they do what they do each day.
On Sept. 9, a team of 11 art teachers and two fine arts administrators placed 442 paintings, drawings, fabric art and sculptures created by CISD students throughout the building as a part of the district’s 2023-24 district art show. The art will be on display through August 2024.
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From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, the families of the students selected for the show are invited to view the artwork at the building in an open house at 3205 West Davis in Conroe.
The art selected for the show is also available for viewing on the CISD fine arts page.
“(Having the artwork on display brings) such pride for both the students and the teachers. Every piece selected is professionally framed and it’s a huge boost for the students in their self confidence and in their artistic skills,” said CISD Fine Arts Specialist Lisa Davis. “Then when they get the piece of art back at the end of the year, it becomes an heirloom piece for the whole family.”
Some of Davis’ former art students are now married with children and they still have their framed district art show piece on display in their home.
“This is something that is not only for the moment, it encourages them for years to come,” she said. “Any way we can celebrate their strengths, growth and their talent is a wonderful opportunity.”
The age level of artist ranges from kindergarteners to high-school seniors. There are 364 two-dimensional pieces and 78 three-dimensional pieces of all shapes, sizes and colors on display.
A commitee of CISD art teachers selects the pieces for the show. The high school art teachers review the elementary age submissions and the elementary art teachers review the high-school submissions. The selections were made in May from more than 1,000 entries. Then the pieces were framed over the summer by Picture Worth Custom Framing.
“Our framers take this exhibit very seriously and they will frame to accentuate the picture. They do some really cool things in the matting,” said Conroe ISD Fine Arts Director Bob Horton, “They never fail to tell us how much their team enjoys being creative about framing the pieces.”
Once on display a card beside the art lists the student, their school and grade level, and their art teacher.
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As visitors enter the building, they’ll find a life-size sculpture of a dog covered with magazine clippings made to look like fur by Lexie Reams, a senior at Grand Oaks High School.
The paper pooch has been placed on a reading bench dedicated to Don Stockton, the former Conroe ISD superintendent. He’s already been the center of attention as passersby move in for a closer look.
Davis and Horton are in awe of the creativity and talent within the district and find something new to see and experience in the art throughout the year.
The show features various types of art from quilling — a practice of rolling up paper to make a picture — to using lighting and layers and a drawing that is made with letters and phrases. One entry by an intermediate student uses a QR code to go to a stop motion video.
“The artwork is representative of the best work by our students and judged by our teachers. That’s a neat level of recognition,” Horton said. “We have so many people who come thorugh our building all year long as well as the several hundred people who work in the building and the artworks are a great reminder of why we do what we do for students.”
Visit the Conroe ISD Fine Arts website for more on the district’s fine arts programs.
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