South Effingham High School art students put their work on display for the pubic Wednesday at an art show the school hosted.

The exhibition was supported by the Grassroots Arts Program of the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations of the General Assembly and in partnership with the Statesboro Arts Council.

“Each student who was enrolled in an art class this spring had a piece of their work in the exhibition,” said art teacher Mary Anderegg said. “National Art Honor Society members were also invited to enter a work into the show.”

She said approximately 85 students had art shown during the event.

Anderegg said every student in the painting course entered at least one painting, and all of the Art I students had a small linoleum block print exhibited.

“Throughout the semester, I collected exceptional student artwork with the intention of holding an exhibition at the end of the semester,” she said. “Many students had their works chosen from this collection.”

She said students enjoy displaying their work to the public.

“It makes them realize that their art work matters,” Anderegg said. “I had a student thank me for the opportunity to show off her work. This, to me, was evidence of the fact that students feel a sense of accomplishment and pride when exhibiting their art.

“I think that many of my student artists really enjoy seeing what the other students have been doing. Artists often get ideas from viewing other artist’s work, which is one reason why art exhibitions are an important part of the art world. I really like the idea of students inspiring other students.”

She said the school and community gain from coming to an art exhibition by using the event to expose students and families to the visual arts, art shows and cultural events.

Anderegg said she would like to see more exhibitions in the future.

“Absolutely,” she said. “I would like to hold at least two art shows a year, one at the end of each semester to display the work of that semester’s students.”