March is nationally recognized as Youth Art Month. Each year the Arts Depot features works from budding young artists from the one or more of the schools in Washington County, VA. This year the featured school is Greendale Elementary School. Numerous pieces of art from these students are being featured in the Members Gallery from February 25th through March 27, 2010 and the students hope you can come and share in the excitement of their art experience during the show. A reception honoring the young artists and their instructor, Ashley Thompson, will be Saturday, March 13 from 1 – 3 pm at the Arts Depot. The public is invited to attend the reception and to meet these talented young artists.

At Greendale Elementary, art students spend time learning a variety of art techniques as well as studying art from different cultures. The core curriculum concepts are incorporated whenever possible. A variety of different art mediums throughout the year including clay, paint, oil pastels, paper mache, plaster of paris, metalwork, beading and fiber. In 2009, a new Greendale Elementary School tradition was begun called “The Day of the Arts”. It is a day where artists from the community come to school and demonstrate their talents for the students. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of several artists last spring, it was a very successful day. Greendale hopes to continue the tradition this spring!

The students are led by art teacher, Ashley Thompson. She has been teaching in Washington County, Virginia for four years and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Crafts, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Ashley’s philosophy on teaching art in the schools is: “First and foremost, I want kids to feel successful though Art. I want kids to learn more than just art facts and techniques. I believe that art can teach many important life lessons, and can also address many of the core curriculum concepts. I also believe that by teaching our kids multicultural art lessons, students can become more aware of our vastly diverse world. By developing sensitivity to our world’s issues, they will be more able to cope with them in the future”.

The Depot Artists Association is a non-profit volunteer organization that operates the Arts Depot and is dedicated to promoting the arts in the community and features the region’s artists. The Arts Depot is located in the historic Depot Square area of downtown Abingdon, VA. The gallery and artists studios are open for your viewing pleasure Thursday thru Saturday, 11-3 pm, or by appointment. There is no admission charge. For further information, please contact the Arts Depot at (276) 628-9091, or e-mail at abingdonartsdepot@abingdon.com, or visit their web site at www.abingdonartsdepot.org. The Association is supported in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.