Spring Into Art puts Kent students in the spotlight

From her earliest school days, Samantha Rossbach knew she loved to create art.

“In first grade, we had to write journal entries, and I would scribble and try to make a picture out of it,” the Kent teenager said, noting she’d been drawing “forever.”

So Friday as she stood, surrounded by her friends and her art at Kent’s Centennial Center art gallery, the Kent-Meridian junior didn’t feel too out of place. Rossbach, who plans to attend either the Seattle Art Institute or the School of Visionary Art in New York City, was one of several hundred Kent students in this year’s Spring Into Art event.

With an artist reception Friday at the Centennial Center, and an “art walk” featuring student creations in downtown Kent and Kent Station businesses, Spring into Art is an annual hats-off to Kent art students and programs. Even if you missed Friday’s reception, you can still take part. The art walk runs through this Friday, and the Centennial Center gallery will showcase its student artwork through Friday also. Go the City of Kent’s Web site at www.

Cheryl dos Remedios, the city of Kent’s visual arts coordinator, said 19 schools participated in this year’s event, with at least 20 participants from each school. As far as the public turnout this week and last for Spring Into Art, dos Remedios said it was “a little lighter this year than in past years.” She wasn’t sure if that had something to do with the Daylight Savings Time change over the weekend, or other factors.

But she said seeing the student artists and their parents gathering to look at the artwork Friday made for some truly poignant moments.

“The enthusiasm of the parents and students who participate is just so amazing,” dos Remedios said, noting she enjoyed listening to the students talk about their artwork, then hearing the parents chime in about experiences they had as students.

Teachers at Friday’s event also had some emotional moments, looking at their students’ work.

“It’s a bit of a carrot – they get a lot of recognition,” said Skip Inman, who teaches art at Mill Creek Middle School, and who came to see the work of his 20 kids, as well as everyone else’s.

Inman said it’s not just about technical abilities to be chosen as a student artist for the show. It’s about work.

“I told them I’m going to be looking for some extra good effort,” he said, noting he chose some pieces “based on how hard they worked.”

Inman pointed out a wall of landscape paintings from his classes. One of the most eye-catching was the scene of a green pasture, against which the shining blue hulk of a mountain rose. It wasn’t some local massif like Rainier – this mountain happened to be Everest. And it was created by one of his students who’d actually seen it, as his plane flew out of the Myanmar Republic (also known as Burma) en route to his new home in the United States.

“We are the United Nations, so we try to pick the commonalities,” Inman said of the diversity in his classroom and the assignments he gives to reflect that.

Inman also noted that art has a definite therapeutic affect on his students.

It’s a nice balance, he said, compared to other classes like math, where the point is finding the one correct answer.

“They come into the art room, take a deep breath and relax,” he said. “They can do it their way.”

And while his students may be getting one thing out of Spring Into Art, Inman said the community is getting another.

“It’s to connect with the community, to show them some really positive work the kids are doing and some really positive activities in the schools,” Inman said.

For Rossbach, on her own path as a developing artist, Friday’s reception was one of the first experiences she’s had community awareness of her work. Her two pieces – a self-portrait in acrylics and a rhino in watercolors and pencil, were drawing some buzz from passersby, for their execution and creativity.

She’s hoping to see that kind of buzz in the future, too. She wants to become a tattoo artist.

“My grandmother and grandfather think it’s just a phase,” Rossbach said. “But my mom and dad support me.”

Learn More

Spring Into Art is a collaboration of the Kent School District (www.kent.k12.wa.u), the Kent Art Commission (www.ci.kent.wa.us/arts) and the Kent Downtown Partnership (www.kentdowntown.org.) The Kent School District provided the young artists, the Kent Art Commission helped with the organization and venue, and the Kent Downtown Partnership orchestrated the downtown business involvement in the artwalk and the reception.

Spring Into Art is an annual event that takes place on the second Tuesday of March.