Student artists shine in South Burlington art show

Artwork from South Burlington School District students 

hanging in a hallway at City Hall. Photo by Cecilia Larson

Inside the glass doors that stand halfway down Market Street in South Burlington hang poster boards brimming with art: detailed moodscapes drawn in marker ink, black and white portraits done in pencil and flower-filled vases mapped out in watercolor. 

Those pieces and more are the work of South Burlington School District students from kindergarten to 12th grade, whose artistic talents across many mediums are on display until July 31 as part of an art exhibition at City Hall.

The show, which opened June 1, came together through a collaboration between South Burlington Public Art Gallery Curator Jessica Manley and a team of dedicated art teachers from the district. It featured art from dozens of students, some of whom rarely get to show off their talents.

Pax Larkin, a student at the high school whose art is featured in the show, said the exhibit has done “a really good job of helping kids who don’t normally present their work.”

The exhibition contrasts the chrome fixtures and plain white walls that greet visitors to City Hall. Venturing into the right hallway, you’ll find an explosion of color and texture. 

Ceramic sculptures set below Van Gogh–esque flower paintings provide viewers with an immediate understanding of 2D and 3D art forms. The bright colors and high contrast slowly transitions mediums as the hallway continues, from watercolor to colored pencil to oil-pastel, graphite and even comic pieces made with digital software. 

Kristina Bolduc, an art teacher at South Burlington High School, emphasized the role of art education in fostering creativity and empowering students to express themselves authentically. Children possess a remarkable capacity for artistic expression, she said, often surpassing the expectations of adults.

Many of the students featured in the exhibition created their artwork without prior knowledge of the show, said Alison Treston, an art teacher at Tuttle Middle School, which helped them explore their artistic abilities freely. That’s something Bolduc emphasizes in her teaching.

Bolduc has spent her time at the high school dedicated to changing the pace of art education. Rather than enforcing realism and traditional artmaking, both of which she thinks students see as “something that makes good art,” she said she aims to loosen the reins to let them find their artistic voices.

To do that, she lets students choose their projects and incorporates art influenced by popular culture and personal identity in an effort to nurture students’ talents.

Treston echoed the sentiment that events like the art show matter greatly for the school district and the community as a whole. By showcasing the students' work in a public space, she hopes that others can find a source of inspiration.

But in the end, she said, she’s “just happy to honor the students that all worked really hard” this past year. 

Correction (7/17/23): The original version of this story included an incorrect spelling of Alison Treston’s last name.