Children's Art Show takes on new programs

The eighth annual Blackhawk Children's Art Show is getting new stars come Dec. 11.

For the past seven years, the Blackhawk Art Gallery hosted the Children's Art Show, with proceeds benefitting either Encampment School or Saratoga Middle/High School.

This year, the proceeds will go to benefit other art programs in the Platte Valley.

"We realized there are other entities that could use the money too, so we decided to work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and we are also going to work with the Friday School Program," said gallery manager Gwen Gorton.

This will mark the first year that Blackhawk will hold the Children's Art Show to benefit the two art programs. Children who participate will make art to show and sell in the gallery.

"In the past, the kids have always, because they love this art show so much, worked on different projects during the year that they will bring to this art show," Gorton said.

All proceeds from the student's projects will go to benefit the students' art program.

"Their pieces sell for about $5 to $10, and in most cases the parents are buying them," Gorton said. "But the kids feel happy that they can contribute something to their art program."

Blackhawk also encourages professional artists to donate pieces for the art show, which part of the proceeds are also donated to benefit art programs.

"We usually get about 30 pieces of art from our artists. Some of them will do multiple pieces, and maybe some of them will send a print," Gorton said.

Jan Hodson, an artist from Laramie, has donated at least one piece to the children's art show each year for the past five years.

"I think that we really need to promote the fine arts with our children, and I think the fact that the school systems cannot support art classes is not good, so I like to help in anyway I can," Hodson said.

Hodson is also one of the few artists who attended the Children's Art Show in the past.

"Most of our artists can't get here because of the snow, but Jan is one that actually showed up," Gorton said.

Hodson said she attended one year because she was curious to see what the show was all about. She was impressed with the turnout.

"I think it was a really good, strong presentation, and I think that the children really enjoyed it and I think the staff that help the students did some wonderful work with them," Hodson said. "The children produced some very nice things for their age group."

This year will be different, Gorton said, because Blackhawk has never worked with two groups at once.

"This year, it is going to be a little bit tougher because we are dealing with two entities that have never done this before, so we are kind of feeling our way through this."

Students at Big Brothers Big Sisters have not started work on their projects, but it should be an exciting experience for them, said Sarah Lincoln, a coordinator at Big Brothers Big Sisters in Saratoga.