WALDOBORO — In 1984, arts educators in the RSU 40 district worked together to create a celebration of the arts that brought together all ages of students to display and recognize the developmental processes being taught through the arts and the amazing abilities of the students in our district. This comprehensive display of work has continued to happen every four years until 2012.

“With large staff turnover, and of course Covid, it has been postponed for the last 12 years. 40 years since this began, we are happy to be putting this event on again,” said RSU 40 organizers, in a news release. “While somewhat downsized, the RSU 40 arts teachers, students from all grade levels, and countless volunteers have been working hard to create this impressive exhibit.”

For one night only, every student across the 5 elementary schools, middle school students, and students enrolled in high school art classes will have their work displayed Thursday, March 14, from 5 - 8 p.m., at Medomak Valley High School. With representation from all 8 schools within the district, the display represents the vast array of mediums, skills, and techniques that students are developing progressively through the stages of the district’s art curriculum. In addition to this grand display of artwork, there will be performances by high school music students.

“This impressive display helps to highlight and represent the critical skills students are gaining through their participation in the arts,” said the release.

The processes that help develop innovative concepts and application, the metacognition of critique and visual thinking skills, and the development of abilities in a wide range of mediums are just part of what can be seen on display. This recognition of student work not only celebrates student achievements, but also highlights the intrinsic value of art, according to the release.  

The theme of the show is “HOME”.

“When we think of home the image that comes to mind, often is a physical house, but as we have explored with our students it is often where you feel safe, comfortable to be yourself, and where dreams are supported,” said RSU 40. “This can be a physical place or often it is a person or community which we associate home with. The work in this show will reflect these broader interpretations of home. We hope you too find similar connections during your time here and in your own lives.”

However, what if you don’t have a physical place to call home? Feeling safe, comfortable and being able to pursue your dreams are that much harder.

“We know that this has been an immediate problem for some of the students in our district, let alone the broader region of our state and beyond,” said RSU 40. “For this reason, we wanted to use art as a way to acknowledge, and highlight this problem and look for solutions.

Nancy Stover, the McKinney-Vento coordinator for the district will be giving a brief presentation, to give some background on what homelessness looks like in the community, where to get help and how to help. She will also be available, along with several other organizations during the show, to provide some information and resources regarding this important issue.