BOBBIE ARDOIN
Editor and Contributing Writer
Photograph: St. Landry Parish Talented Visual Arts teacher Jerome Ford points out aspects of student artwork during a gallery display event held Friday at the Opelousas Museum and Interpretative Center. (Photograph by Freddie Herpin.)
St. Landry Parish elementary and middle school talented visual art students displayed their talents Friday afternoon with a gallery display featured at the Opelousas Museum and Interpretative Center.
Gifted and talented facilitator Tillie Carrier, said drawings, paintings and other visual artwork from 49 lower elementary students within the District were placed in the main area of the museum for public viewing.
Students received certificates that were presented by Opelousas Mayor Julius Alsandor.
Carrier and talented visual arts instructors Heather Wallace and Jerome Ford were available at the museum as parents had opportunities to witness the art created by their children.
Wallace explained that students included in the gifted and talented visual arts program are chosen following a screening process in which they have their abilities evaluated at the school, parish and state level.
“Teachers score the work of the students and look at their portfolios. After that there are parish and state evaluations. It’s a three-step process,” Wallace said. Students can remain in the talented visual arts program until sixth grade, Wallace said.
If students wish to remain in visual arts beyond middle school, they can apply to the Magnet Academy of Cultural Arts for seventh through 12th-grade enrollment, Carrier said.
Visual art students from MACA did not have their works displayed at the museum, said Wallace. “MACA students in seventh through the 12th grades have their own art shows,” she added.
Ford said the artwork on Friday featured paintings and drawings in addition to sculptures.”The students went through their work and they selected two projects that they wanted to display here at the museum,” Ford said. Ford said participants in the talented and visual arts program normally work on their projects twice a week.
