Local students had the opportunity to show off their creativity in a public forum when Newtown Public Schools' District Art Show was presented recently at Newtown Municipal Center. The exhibition was on display March 30-April 9, and featured art by students of all ages.

(A brief recap of the opening reception and a notice of the show's dates was previously presented in The Newtown Bee.)

Family, friends, and anyone interested in the art as well as the general public were all treated to colorful student art that lined the main corridor of the municipal center. The exhibit was separated into different displays, with each organized by school, grade, and medium.

It included a mixture of work made during the current academic year.

From colorful animals, pop art onomatopoeias, and graphite fractured self portraits to ceramic sculptures, detailed paintings, and even dresses, every piece reflected the creativity, talent, and passion of local students.

Students were not alone in showcasing their work, however, as the exhibit also featured a small display of work by Newtown Public Schools’ art teachers.

The district’s visual art departments celebrated the art show with an opening reception on March 31. Attendees stopped by throughout the evening to support local students.

Newtown High School (NHS) students Jonathan Silva and Andrew Rojas performed music at one end of the corridor, while fellow NHS student Jessup Burton performed at the other end.

As live music filled the air, guests were also invited to have their faces painted by NHS National Art Honor Society students or purchase cookies and charcuterie boards made by the high school’s culinary department.

NHS art teacher Kymberly Noone, who organized the exhibit with the district's other art teachers, said she could not be happier with how everything turned out.

The exhibit has been held annually since 2017, except when the gallery was closed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The opening reception itself is a relatively new tradition, having only started around 2022.

Before Noone arrived in the Newtown school district several years ago, she was working toward her second master's degree. One of her courses in leadership was community outreach, she said, and in her previous district, Noone always had a district art show with a huge reception.

"I really wanted to bring that here," she explained. "This way, students’ art would still be up for two weeks, but now we'd have an opening night reception like you would for any other artist who's displaying art in this gallery."

The receptions, she added, give students a chance to engage with all of the district art and see what they can do at different grade levels.

"And they get to spend a fun night together rather than running in, checking out the artwork, and then running out," Noone said.

Setting up the exhibit itself, she added, was a team effort. Noone said the district's custodians are the ones who deliver the shelves to the municipal center and help set up the displays.

The district's visual art departments works with Newtown Cultural Arts Commission, which curates and manages the Newtown Municipal Center Art Gallery, to arrange the exhibit, Noone also noted.

"They help with not only booking us at the municipal center ... but they also help us with extra display materials coming in and out of the municipal center as needed," Noone said. "They’ve been instrumental in making sure we’re set up and have everything for the reception and show to go off without a hitch."

More than anything else, Noone said it was amazing to see all kinds of students, from younger kids to older teens, have the chance to showcase their work to the community.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.