Art show well attended

— An art show was hosted by the Pea Ridge Primary School Parent-Teacher Or- ganization at the first PTO meeting of the year with lit- erally hundreds of attendees filling the Primary School building last week.

Almost 2,000 works of art were on display from this year as well as the 2011-2012 school term. The 50-piece art show that graced the Gil- crease Museum of American Art in Tulsa this summer was on display as well as other works from the variety of art shows and competi- tions that Pea Ridge students have participated in recently. Work done in the month of Sept. was part of the show with every Pea Ridge student having something in the ex- hibition.

It was announced at the meeting that the schools online art gallery recently passed the 250,000 mark in visitors who have viewed the Internet site. It was also announced that the school passed the 70,000 mark in the amount of artworks that can be seen in the gallery, tops all time in the United States.

“It’s true that we now have the largest gallery in North America, but it isn’t just quantity. The quality is there as well,” art teacher John Mc- Gee said. “There is not a school with better art facilities, supplies and administration anywhere in this state,” McGee said. “When I first came to Pea Ridge, it was crayons and copy paper on a cart. We have definitely come a long way.”

Student art work is put on display on the website which will remain there permanently. The art will move with the student on the site until they graduate high school, when it then goes into the archives where it will be accessible perma- nently.

“The Artsonia website started in 2000, and now 12 years later, it hosts literally millions of art works from around the world.” McGee said. “I have heard around 10,000 American schools post on the site as well as hundreds of schools in for- eign countries.”

The school’s website pres- ence is located at www.artso- nia.com/pearidge2. Parents of students can register on the free site and become fans of their kids. This helps the students win awards and also allows friends and relatives the opportunity to seeing the child’s art through e-mail updates.

Pea Ridge has won the Artsonia State Leadership Award for the past three years for having the best on- line gallery in the state.