It’s that time of the year when Westfield art teachers come together to plan the beloved Westfield District Art Show. By now, they have chosen the pieces they want to showcase, thought of creative exhibits and set up for the event.

The art show in recent years has taken a “museum approach” as a new and exciting way to show off the artwork. Arranging the pieces this way shows the development of skills and curriculum from kindergarten through 12th grade. As part of the museum experience, attendees of the art show will walk along a path that first showcases art produced in the elementary schools, then art made in more advanced intermediate and high school classes. Posters will describe to the viewers the focus of each installation. This year there will also be student docents to help the attendees stay on the path and help answer any questions they may have about the work.

This year, Mr. Thomas Weber Jr. has taken Dr. Linda King’s role as the supervisor of visual and performing arts, after King’s retirement last June. “It’s been very exciting to be involved in the planning of the District Art Show this year for the first time as the arts supervisor,” Weber said. “I was fortunate to be able to attend the art show last year and was amazed with both the talented works created by the students and the size of the exhibit put together by the teachers. It’s a comprehensive exhibition that showcases works by students in every grade level.”

WHS Art Teacher Ms. Leah Jarvis said the art show is a team effort, meaning that all the art teachers plan the event together. “We start collecting work in September,” she said. “Then, right after spring break is the crunch when we start finalizing what hangs vertically, what hangs horizontally, and what is on the table.”

For WHS Art Teacher Mr. Timothy Stumbers, the art show is a reflection of the students’ hard work. “It’s seeing everything that the students have accomplished,” Stumbers said. “Putting together the art show is a lot of work, but it’s almost fun in a sense.”

WHS art students are also anxiously awaiting the show. For them, the exhibition demonstrates that all their hard work has paid off; they feel proud that their pieces are displayed.

During her four years of art classes, senior Hannah Martin has consistently had pieces featured in the art show. “I’ll miss showing the elementary kids around the art show, and seeing how proud they get when they see one of their pieces,” Martin said.

While many students are saying goodbye to the art show, many students are experiencing it as high schoolers for the first time. Freshman Brandon Jawor is curious to see the new artwork from all the Westfield Public Schools this year.

“I’m very excited for the art show because of all the different ways people express new ideas in their artwork,” Jawor said.