School Exhibition at Quick Center

Story & Photos by Tom Missel
Director of Media Relations/Marketing

As curator of education at St. Bonaventure University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Evelyn Sabina spends a lot of time in area schools connecting with young artists at the elementary and secondary levels.

Her visits leave her with one central thought: There is some real talent out there.

“I was going into a lot of schools and seeing some pretty amazing artwork,” said Sabina. “I got to thinking that this should be in The Quick Center.”

A meeting with some like-minded teachers has resulted in the inaugural Middle and High School Juried Exhibition at The Quick Center, a showcase of approximately 100 pieces of art created by students from 20 area schools. The exhibition, which opened with an artists’ reception Wednesday, June 3, runs through June 21.

Nearly 300 people – the young artists, their art teachers, parents and guests – filled The Quick Center’s atrium for Wednesday evening’s opening, a sight that Joseph LoSchiavo, the center’s executive director, said would have pleased the late Regina Quick. It was a gift from Regina and Leslie C. Quick Jr., parents of 1975 SBU graduate and university trustee Leslie C. Quick III, that launched construction of the center, which opened in 1995.

“This is a very special event for us and it’s great to see so many people in this room,” said LoSchiavo. “The outreach to young people was enormously important to Mrs. Quick and it’s one of the most important things that we do here.”

More than 300 pieces were submitted to three jurors who selected about 100 works for the exhibition. The jurors – Art Mohagen, retired art teacher at Allegany-Limestone Central School; Melissa Meyers, an artist featured in this year’s Cattaraugus County Arts Council’s Southern Tier Biennial exhibition; and Mary Anne Kirkpatrick, a certified decorative artist – said their task was not easy.

“The talent is unbelievable,” said Meyers, who attended Wednesday’s opening. “I did not expect the quality that I saw. I was really blown away by it and it made it very difficult to judge the various pieces. To have been selected is a real honor for these students.”

Heather Lee, a high school art teacher at Allegany-Limestone Central School, said the opportunity to exhibit at The Quick Center excited and inspired her students. “A lot of my students are overwhelmed by how many people are here,” she said at the opening. “I think that when students show their work, especially in a public exhibit like this, it gives them self-confidence and makes them more motivated to create more pieces of artwork.”

Olean Middle School art teacher Dan Brown said the exhibition is important as a means of exposing students to other artists and artwork. “This is a great opportunity for our kids to get over here to the university and not only see what everybody else is doing, but to also get a chance to see what treasures this school has,” he said.

The exhibition includes an assortment of art forms including photography, mixed media, oils and watercolors, pastels, ceramics, charcoal drawings and more.

Each young artist received a letter on Quick Center letterhead congratulating him or her on being included in the exhibition. The letter is a great way for a student interested in art to begin building a portfolio, said Sabina.

“The Quick Center is home to St. Bonaventure’s world-class collection that includes art and historical artifacts dating from the beginnings of Western civilization to the 21st century. Being selected for exhibition here is a significant reflection of the quality of a student’s work,” she said.

Students from middle and high schools in the following communities in New York and Pennsylvania participated in exhibition: Allegany/Limestone, Hinsdale, Fillmore, Friendship, Jamestown, Kane, Olean (including Archbishop Walsh), Otto/Eldred, Port Allegany, Portville, Randolph and Salamanca.

The plan is to make the exhibition an annual event, said Sabina.

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University is open year round at no charge. Galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Pictured, Julia Collver, a sophomore at Port Allegany (Pa.) High School, stands in front of her work “Artists’ Eyes” as she greets a visitor at the exhibition opening; Salamanca High School senior Caleb Abrams stands before his painting “In The Hands of Compassion.”