Student artists show off year’s achievements at show

SALISBURY — Children and parents congregated in the halls of Salisbury Central School on Monday, June 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. for the annual show of student art.The art show featured one or two of each student’s favorite pieces from the past year from grades pre-kindergarten through eighth. Although the art program itself does not extend through pre-kindergarten, the younger students created a project within their class that was exhibited alongside the works of the older children.“Art is one of my favorite classes,” said Jillian Diamond, who is 9 years old. “My favorite is my monkey,” she said, pointing at her drawing of a monkey reaching for a banana. When asked what the inspiration behind the piece was, she replied matter-of-factly, “Because I love monkeys!”Gayle Christinat, the art teacher at Salisbury Central, weaved excitedly in and out of students and artwork, glowing with pride as she addressed each masterpiece. “It is all about the children,” she said repeatedly, “This is not my work, it is about how talented they are.”The works ranged from pencil sketches, to grids of color, to Spanish tiles, to 3D models of houses. Because of Christinat’s ability to work with the children throughout their years at school, she is able to create a program that allows them to build on their experience and knowledge from the previous year. “I love to see the change as they develop their craft,” said Christinat, “from plain work with colors, to balance, to mixed media.”For more information on Salisbury Central, or its art program, visit www.salisburycentral.org.