TOPSFIELD -- A bright new exhibit has moved into the Topsfield Town Library's meeting room for the month of May. The artists featured have mastered many different mediums, with splashes of vivid color that illuminate the library walls.
But this month's exhibit doesn't tout a veteran group of artists. This month's featured artists have a fresh take on the art world, because they are children ages 4 to 14.
About 80 students, from Topsfield, Boxford, Middleton, Danvers and Ipswich, will have samples of work from their school year at the Art Room in Topsfield on display.
On Saturday, May 19, the library will host an artist's reception for the students from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The public is invited to this free event, and is also invited any time that the library is open to check out the eye-catching artwork. The Topsfield Town Library is open Monday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday and Friday from noon to 5 p.m.
Sandy Runnion, owner of the Art Room, said that her students were very excited to have their creations hanging from the walls of the library.
"They've had their artwork displayed in our gallery before, but this is like a professional show," she said. "They can bring their grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends."
The Art Room offers fine arts classes that challenge students beyond crayons and scissors. Some of the works are acrylic still lifes on canvas, hand crafted bowls, washed batiks of animals, and painted three-dimensional birds.
Another highlight of the exhibit are pieced together masterpieces mimicking some of history's most famous paintings. Each student was given a sixteenth of an unrecognizable painting and copied the techniques and shapes that they saw. Then the numbered pieces were assembled like a puzzle and, to the student's amazement, became a beautiful recreation of a Henri Matisse or Georgia O'Keefe painting.
Runnion encouraged local residents to come to the library and admire the skills of some of their young neighbors.
"People should come just to see what the talent is like in the area," she said. "It's amazing what they can actually do."
These grid paintings are part of an art exhibit by children titled "Young at Art" that is on display at the Topsfield Library.Heather Mancini/Staff Photo(Click for larger image)
