Student Art Gallery Paints a New Picture

Photos by Colton Sierra '14. Copyright Red Cloud Indian School. 

Student Art Gallery Paints a New Picture

By Colton Sierra '14

For the past 2 ½ months, Heritage Center staff Brandie Macdonald and Art teacher Brittany Weidel and her students have been collaborating to create their own art gallery that would take place within the walls of the Heritage Center. It made its debut April 25th and continues to bring in visitors until its final day on May 16th.

The art gallery is for the students to explore other professions in the art field. It also is there teach about museums, and what it means to set up an exhibit. The students were to complete and present a project exhibition proposal before setting up shop in the provided area a little ways from the Heritage Center.

The theme of the art gallery is “History...what if?” The art focuses on looking at historical events and blatantly asking “what if?” There are art pieces everywhere but the one aspect of the gallery that captures most of the attention is a big brown section that covers the whole wall titled “Write Your Own History." This piece allows for the different range of visitors to have their own input on what they think history what be like. With the “Write Your Own History” piece being involved, the gallery becomes what Macdonald would call “more community based.”

“I am so proud of the students participating within the student gallery exhibitions,” said Macdonald. She can be heard encouraging students and other visitors to leave their mark on the piece.

The art gallery is part of a groupage of art based projects coming from the Heritage Center. It joins the Spoken Word Poetry team, Tȟéča Wówapi Káǧa Okȟólakičhiye (TWKO), and the Raise Up writing contest.

Brandie Macdonald looks to the future of the Heritage Center and high school students and tells that they have a goal “to provide these opportunities for the community.”