Tulsa museum opens Pea Ridge art exhibit

— Fifty young artists have been selected to be a part of a special “The Art of Pea Ridge” exhibit that opens this week in the Gilcrease Museum of American Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The exhibit will mark the fourth time in five years that Pea Ridge has been invited to have an exhibition. The exhibit consists of artwork done by students of Pea Ridge Elementary School as done in the regular art classes taught by teacher John McGee.

“It was particularly tough to select just 50 works to be included in the showing.” McGee remarked. “There are quite a few students here who take pride in their art and who do exemplary work.”

“The exhibit will be running from the end of May until mid-July, twice as long as an ordinary exhibit.” McGee remarked, “I got a request from the curator there if I would mind holding the exhibit over for an extra month. I hope that might give local residents here more of achance to go see it.”

There will be a reception at 2 p.m. June 16 to honor the artists at the Gilcrease. Students will have the opportunity to tour the museum as well as the nearby Philbrook Museum that morning.

Kindergarten artists selected to exhibit were Croix Licause, Hutch Kelso, Jasmine Greek, Kamden Hissong and Luke Baker.

First-graders selected were Jessica Gibson, Chloe Jennings, Brenden Spillman, Jace Quick and Samuel Gregory.

Second-graders selected were Vanessa Ollivier, Joe Adams, Gavin Stanley, Landon Weston, Hagen McGarrah, Ava Little and Isabella Smith.

Third-graders selected were Gracelyn Hissong, Blake Hockenberry, Elizabeth Spencer. Dillon Brouse, Heather Cato, D.J. Holle, Jake Ingram, Stephanie Harris, Gracie Easterling, Jackson Revelle, Danon Woodard and Bianca DeShields.

Fourth-graders honored were Jon Howard, Mazon Harris, Jake Horton,Lorena Razuri, Garrison Artman, Allie Holle and Peyton Anderson.

Fifth-graders tabbed for the show were Jessica McMahon, Tori Scrogham, Leala Sorrell, Sophia Soto, Viviana Soto, Jacob Kiggins, Braeden Kennedy, Madison McGuire, Isabella Rowlee, Brody Weber, Gracie Downs, Hollyn Davis, Tara Doepke and Harrison Cato.

The nearly summerlong show joins two other places that the local elementary artists will be exhibiting this summer.

Nine students have art on display at the Witt Stephens Conservation Center in Little Rock all summer, with another student having art on display at the Arkansas Studies Institute, also in Little Rock.

News, Pages 8 on 05/23/2012