MILLERSBURG - Art students at Line Mountain High School got a taste of professional life this week when a show exclusively featuring their work opened Sunday at The Gallery on the Square in Millersburg.
The gallery, located at 226 Union St., Millersburg, will host 40 pieces of the student's art until May 16.
Art teacher Wes Wagner smiles like an overjoyed parent when he talks about his student's work.
"I'm very proud of my students," he said.
Though he tries to remain neutral, he has a few favorites among the pieces on display. In particular, he likes a ceramic teapot titled "Spice" by Emma Miller.
"It's her first piece in ceramics here," he said.
The teapot is displayed disassembled in the gallery, showing how two ceramic cups fit into the pot for storage. Most clever, Wagner said, is the lid, which has a slot to hold tea bags.
Fitting with the pumpkin-ridged exterior of the teapot, Miller placed pumpkin spice tea in the slot for display.
The students prepared and installed their work in the gallery, valuable skills Wagner said will help them if the choose to pursue a career in art.
"They need to learn exhibition, how to get your work ready and prepare it for show," said Wagner. "The 'engineering' behind display - it's often more than hanging from a wire."
He described the difficulties of one piece, "Entrapment," also created by Miller. The piece holds a gold-leafed ceramic egg inside layers of grapevine, and needed to be hung to be displayed properly.
"It's an installation kind of piece," said Wagner.
Though some of the pieces are more highbrow art, the show includes some whimsical pop art in the style Andy Warhol. "Crawlers Pop Art," a blown-up replica of the gummy candy made by Bailey Masser from paper colored with tempera and ink draws a contrast to Miller's more muted tones.
Wagner, who has a sculpture background but worked in graphic design for several years before becoming a teacher, also sought to include pieces from his graphic design students. "Cool Circuits," a logo design for the Pennsylvania High School Computer Fair by Sierra Bobb, is one example of how Wagner found the intersection between visual and commercial art.
The Gallery on the Square, run by the Millersburg Area Art Association Inc., is open Thursdays and Fridays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.