The post office has become the inaugural location for Valley Art students to begin their annual tradition of painting windows in Lucasville for the holiday season. A penguin playground popped up and now greets the locals as they drop off and pick up their packages and mail. Students in Art 2 and Studio Art classes have worked diligently since two weeks before Thanksgiving to decorate the windows of area businesses in town. This is the fourth year for the project that was created in conjunction with the GLO (Growing Lucasville Opportunities) organization. All of the window painting supplies are generously paid for by GLO, and Valley's Art students work during their class periods until the last window is finished.
This year there have been several new additions to the list of businesses that allowed their windows to be painted, making spirits even brighter as you drive around during the holiday season, so keep your eyes open as you drive around town. "I'm so thankful for this project. My students and I look forward to it every year, and in fact I start getting asked about it as soon as school starts in August. It has become a staple for the holidays around here and I love that! Valley's Art students are all so talented, and this is a great way to showcase that in a very public way while giving back to the community that they live in. We don't ask for anything in return for the window painting, but if businesses feel they want to give the kids something for their efforts they're welcome to do so. Any donations that are given to the Art Department get put in a designated fund and the students who participate in the project get to decide what gets purchased for the art room with that money. In fact, we were able to recently purchase a large format printer for the art room by saving a few years donations. It's a great way for the students to take ownership of their program," said teacher Kelly Montgomery. If you would like to donate to the Art Department you can send a check made out to "Valley High School" with "Art Fund" in the memo.
Click the link below to view images of all of the windows that were painted this year, and be sure to take a drive around town and see them in person. Happy Holidays to everyone from the Valley Art Department!