Minnesota Prairie Roots

EVEN NOW, MANY DECADES LATER, I can still picture the art I created in grade school and junior high school. A rug woven from strips of fabric. A cat crafted from a spray painted 7-UP bottle and Styrofoam. A swan painted on glass. A girl created with scrap fabric and yarn glued onto burlap. A color wheel painted on paper. A small bowl shaped from clay. If only I still had that artwork which holds the work of my hands, the memories of youth. And if only I could step back in time, I would take art classes in high school. I didn’t and really have no idea why.

Today students seem to have more opportunities in the arts and more opportunities to get their work out there to the public. One example is the Area Student Art Show which opened in early March and closes April 12 at the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault. Students from Jefferson Elementary School, Faribault Middle School and High School, the Faribault Area Learning Center, Cannon River STEM School, Bethlehem Academy and Waterville-Elysian-Morriston Schools (WEM) have art in the 2025 exhibit.

Each year I am amazed at the art these talented students from kindergarten to 12^th grade create. It is remarkable really. I expect some will, post school, pursue art either for enjoyment or professionally. At least I hope they do. I see the possibilities to work in design, marketing, photography, teaching, fashion, even book illustrating…

When I view the artwork of students from these seven southern Minnesota schools, I see a passion for art fueled perhaps by their own inner desire to create, but also by parents and teachers who foster creativity. I watched and listened as WEM kindergartner Edwin and his mom found his bee art and then artwork created by classmates. Edwin was clearly proud of his art as was his mom. I loved that they drove over to Faribault from the Waterville area just to see the student exhibit. That’s sending a strong message to Edwin, that what he created matters.

And I think that’s part of the reason the annual Area Student Art Show rates as one of my favorite exhibits at the Paradise. It’s important to encourage students in the arts. Oftentimes, it seems athleticism is valued and the arts are not. All of us are not athletic. I am raising my hand high on that statement. Not all of us care much about sports. I am raising my hand high on that statement also. Yes, sports have their place and value. I’m not saying they don’t. But so do the arts.

I truly am in awe of this student art exhibit. The portraits, especially, impress me. And to think most of these artists are still in high school or younger.

But I am equally as impressed by the vivid florals, the animals, the abstracts, the still lifes, the landscapes, insects and much more.

There are no cats crafted from 7-UP bottles. No swans painted on glass. No woven rugs. But there exists in each work of art the element of creativity. To create is to put yourself out there, to share something with the world, to show that, hey, I made this. I matter. My art matters.

FYI: In addition to the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault, other area art centers are hosting exhibitions of student art in celebration of National Youth Art Month in March. Those include shows at the Owatonna Arts Center until March 30, the Waseca Art Center until April 18 and The Arts & Heritage Center of Montgomery until May 17. Art featured in this post is only a small sampling of the wonderful student art showcased at the Paradise during this exhibit.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling. Photographed with permission of the Paradise Center for the Arts. Student artists retain copyrights to their work.