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Charlotte Amalie
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YOUNG ARTISTS POSITIVELY EXPRESS THEMSELVES

May 2, 2001 – If you'd like to see how St. Thomas youngsters from kindergarten through sixth grade express themselves, artistically speaking, stop by Kirwan Elementary School on Thursday or Friday to view "Art Show 2001."
It's an exhibition of more than a hundred works of art created by Kirwan students this school year, all displayed on the cafetorium stage.
The exhibition, which opened Wednesday, was organized by Kirwan art teacher Julie Armbruster. She said she selected the pieces on display with an eye to creating a show that is representative of the artwork done by more 400 students at the school, located in the Bournefield area near Cyril E. King Airport. "It's not a competition," she said. "We're trying to create a collective form of positive expression."
The works on exhibit are diverse both in cultural inspiration and in the choice of materials used by the students to express themselves, and they reflect learning experiences the children have had this year. For example, Native American volunteer instructor Verda Campbell of the Navaho Tribe taught students to paint with colored sand in the tradition of her Black Streak Forest Clan. African themes are evident throughout the show, including pencil drawings of Tropical Masqueraders Carnival clowns. The local Danish heritage inspired Christmas ornaments made with painted macaroni shell wreaths.
Kirwan's assistant principal, ReGina Vanterpool, expressed her enthusiasm about the pupils' artistic accomplishments in her comments at the program opening the exhibition Wednesday. She praised Armbruster's enthusiasm, too, in putting together Art Show 2001. As visitors wandered about taking in the show afterwards, a number of the student artists were on hand to answer questions about their individual pieces and to point out their personal favorites.
Funding to mount the exhibition was provided in part by the V.I. Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. The artwork will be open to public viewing Thursday and Friday between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

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