Rockwood Art Show Attracts 10,000 Attendees

Nearly 7,000 pieces of art filled practically every nook of Selvidge Middle School this weekend as the host site of Rockwood School District's annual Art Show. All 31 schools within the district, plus the two early childhood centers, were represented through some art form. This year also provided attendees with the opportunity to participate in eco-cycling.

Rockwood Fine Arts Coordinator Matthew Frederickson said he knew this weekend was one of the largest crowds the art show has drawn in its 10-year history. "The people flow has been constant. We've never had a lull."

With free admission and the show being conducted from noon to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the upbeat nature of attendees was steady and infectious. Selvidge volunteer parents working the greeting area for the show, Tom and Leanne McHugh, indicated the school's new library and multipurpose room gave the school a much better layout for the art show since the last time they were the host school.

Leanne estimated the crowd on Saturday to be about 3,000. She said one of the most touching developments they witnessed was a family from Eureka whose child had artwork through the exhibitions. "They brought both the grandmother and the great-grandmother here to see the child's pieces. That's what it's all about."

Tom, whose son had done a dinosaur that many attendees were admiring, said at least another 6,000 people came on Sunday.

Frederickson put the final estimate of this year's art show at 10,000 attendees, by the time they wound down. He said the off-site parking and shuttle service with Woerther Elementary School and Holy Infant Catholic School helped tremendously. Each year, Rockwood middle schools take turns hosting the show, which he admits prompts attendance challenges. "But we love having the art show in our own schools, within our actual communities, rather than somewhere larger outside of the Rockwood area. It's a win-win," he said.

"It's so amazing to see the diversity of students' expressions," said Frederickson, who pointed out that the artistic progressions from prekindergarten through the senior years of high school were visible at the show.

Rounding out the art-immersed experience were adult artists demonstrating certain types of art forms in the lobby area, such as printmaking, clay throwing, light sculptures and acrylic painting.

A company whose owners live in Wildwood and work from Chesterfield collected a variety of recycling items: desktop and laptop computers; hard drives; zip drives; printers; speakers; cell phones; cordless phones; answering machines; pagers; pocket personal computers; battery backup packs; digital cameras and routers. Eco-Cycle LLC owner Steve Fechter said the recycled computers are taken apart, and the glass is recycled through The Doe Run Company's plant in Boss, MO.

Fechter said his recycling efforts are different in that his focus is to keep the recoverable parts in use within the United States.

A charge was required for some of the recycled electronics, such as monitors and TVs, however a portion of all fees collected was donated to the Rockwood School District's Art Foundation.

For information about art-oriented summer camps conducted among the schools, visit the St. Louis Art Academy's website.