From Art Aficionado to Curator

Last Fall, Wilson students were invited to enjoy an authentic experience through the Art Aficionado program of the Saint Louis Art Fair (SLAF). Presented by PNC Bank’s Arts Alive, the program gave our students a fully-funded opportunity to choose artwork for permanent display at Wilson School.  Students approached this responsibility with a lot of thought: they identified where art could be prominently displayed in the school; they researched artists who would be at the fair; they visited the booths; they spoke with artists to understand their inspiration; and they decided what pieces to purchase.  The artwork has been wonderfully situated in our library for a few months.

Wilson’s aficionados not only selected art for our school, they also left a lasting impact on the community by choosing artwork to tour with SLAF’s traveling Public Art Collection.  That collection has been on tour throughout the fall and winter and now is at Wilson School. Having a turn to host the Public Art Collection gave our students the opportunity to step into the curator role.  They poured through the full collection to select what they felt to be the right pieces and the correct amount artwork to show. Then the students helped to arrange the overall display. This fantastic exhibit will be here through May 11th, and we invite Wilson families and friends to stop in to enjoy it.  ​

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