This month, Walpole’s Art Department is participating in the annual Barnes and Noble Art Show featuring the work of budding K-12 artists. Students gathered on the evening of March 8 to be rewarded for their talents in front of their families. Certificates were handed out by each student’s teacher while his or her art was presented to the crowd inside the Starbuck’s café section of Barnes and Noble.  Now while the everyday coffee drinkers sit back to enjoy their newly bought book, they are surrounded with the vibrant drawings and paintings of Walpole students making the mellow, dimly-lit atmosphere a little brighter until the end of the month.

“It really gives a chance for the art to be celebrated and to see the artist’s growth through the years,” said Department Head Ms. Sandra Allison who attended the opening night with nine other art teachers. “The growth and expansion of techniques is noticeable. It’s nice to see the improving art work and creativity,” said Ms.  Allison.

This year’s theme,”Lines and Shapes Connect Us,” represented all seven public schools from Walpole, giving the community a chance to view what the art program’s have been doing all year.  Each year the 13 different grades’ (including kindergarten) artwork is dispersed on the walls of the café among the different age groups.

“Barnes and Noble is always very nice about letting us use their venue for youth art month,” said Ms. Allison.  For the last couple of years, Barnes and Noble has allowed Walpole to feature different school’s work and has hosted a reception night including refreshments for the different families of the artists.

Another March, which is known as “Youth Art Month,” has successfully given students in Walpole the opportunity to showcase their artistic talents. The theme of “Lines and Shapes Connect Us” this year will be shown for the remainder of the month, letting the colorful paintings linger just in time for spring.