Student Art To Help Children In Need

— Students are working for more than a grade in Sarah Bartmier’s Ceramics I class at Bentonville High School.

At A Glance

The Show

What: Create for Community Gala

Where: Arend Art Center, Bentonville High School

When: 6-8 p.m. Monday

They’re creating pieces that will help better the lives of children in need around Benton County.

The students will auction off their artwork from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the school district’s first Create for Community Gala at the Arend Art Center on the high school campus. All proceeds will benefit the Benton County Children’s Shelter. Students also will donate their time to provide entertainment during the auction.

The project is the brainchild of Bartmier as part of a profession growth project. She said she would like to see the event turn into an annual fundraiser for the children’s shelter.

“I want students to learn to use their creative side to make an impact in their communities and not just in their classrooms for a grade,” Bartmier said. “We have some phenomenal art students here, and while I feel like art competitions are wonderful, I would just like to see something that involves the community a little more.”

As students in the class and more advanced classes worked on their projects, Bartmier said she noticed they seemed more inspired. She believes having a purpose behind the artwork has made it more meaningful for many students.

Freshman Rainy Bray created a teapot shaped like a bird for the auction. She said she went with the bird theme because “birds are always provided for.”

“Sometimes they provide for themselves, but sometimes they rely on others to feed them,” Bray said.

Bray trains at the Northwest Arkansas Conservatory for Classical Ballet and will share her ballet skills along with her art Monday night. She and three of her friends will dance to the song “One Day” from “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Senior Peter Steffens has assisted Bartmier in organizing the event. He admitted he’s more a writer than a ceramics artist, but he still created a plate with a swirl design for the auction. He said it was important for him to give back to the community he has lived in for 10 years.

“Being able to contribute to the community through something I enjoy is really impactful for me,” he said.

Bartmier said her goal is for the event to become student-led. She said her idea means little if students don’t back it up and follow through with the projects. That’s one reason she chose the children’s shelter for the beneficiary.

“I wanted my students to understand this is not affecting people unrelated to them,” she said. “Some of them go to school here. Some may have been involved with the shelter at some point.”

In addition to helping others, the gala allows students a chance to be a part of a flourishing arts community in Bentonville. The opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and now the 21c Museum Hotel have impacted her students, Bartmier said.

“I’ve lived here for five or six years, so we moved here when everything was starting to develop and Crystal Bridges was still an idea,” Bray said. “I think I’ve really seen this community grow up, and I’ve grown a lot with it, too.”

Auction pieces will start at $10, Bartmier said. She hopes to have about 100 pieces and raise enough money to adopt a room at the children’s shelter.

Upcoming Events