CHS Art Students’ Work Displayed In Library, Rumor Meal

By Maya Pottiger

Since she took over Chesapeake High School’s Art Club this year, Carly Kriewald is trying to create new opportunities for her students.

This month, student work will be featured at Mountain Road Library and a few doors down at The Rumor Meal.

“We have a lot of really talented kids that — in a remote, small school — don’t always get recognition,” Kriewald said. “It’s nice to have the public venue as an opportunity to display their work in the school and beyond the school.”

The Mountain Road Library regularly features an Artist of the Month in its event room. For the month of February, work from CHS art students will hang in the room.

“I know they have a lot of their children’s programs in the event space, so I saved fun, colorful, bright artworks I had from the first semester,” Kriewald said. Some of the work in the room features drawings of Spongebob, Disney World and other things recognizable to children.

The work hanging in The Rumor Meal was created by students in Art Club, as they are the more advanced art students.

“It makes it more real to them. It makes it so they’re like any professional displaying in a public space,” Kriewald said. “You wouldn’t really know it was student artwork when you see the artwork and read their names.”

This is Kriewald’s first year with Art Club and her third year teaching at CHS. Her goal is to help art students see how their work fits in with the school and overall community.

“I’m injecting new opportunities, just trying out a bunch of things until I figure out what is sustainable to do year after year,” Kriewald said.

To raise money for the club, students held a holiday fundraiser where they sold handmade gift wrap and gift packages. The money they raised helped pay for supplies.

During school events, Art Club students offer face painting to their peers, which is popular among students. They will do it again for Lucky Day in March and ahead of the school’s pep rally.

“I’m trying to increase their stake within the school community and give them a lot of opportunities to use their art to benefit the community, the school, themselves and to have fun with it,” Kriewald said.

The students’ works will be on display at the Mountain Road Community Library (4730 Mountain Road) and The Rumor Meal (4730 Mountain Road) through February.