The talents of the art students in the Troy City School System will be on display at The Studio on East Walnut Street in downtown Troy from 5 until 7 p.m. today.

The reception for the Troy City Schools Art Show is free and open to the public.

The show includes students from Troy Elementary and Charles Henderson middle and high schools.

“In all, there will be between 400 and 500 works of art on display,” said Pam Smith, CHHS art teacher. “The artwork will include drawings and paintings as well as photographs and graphic designs from high school students and sculptures from elementary and middle school students.

“The Troy City Schools Art Show is an opportunity for students to share the artwork that they have done. They are thrilled to have their artwork in a public show. Of course, their artwork is displayed in the classrooms and around the schools but the art show is an opportunity for everybody to see what they have done. And, it’s also an opportunity for the young students to see what the older students are doing and vice versa.”

Smith said the Troy City Schools Art Show has been an event of the past 20 years and has grown continually over time.

“In the beginning, the art show was held in bank lobbies and, from there, we moved to Malone Gallery on the Troy University campus and now The Studio,” she said.

Smith joins the art teachers from TES, Jennifer Lindsey, and CHMS, Jennifer Sullivant, in encouraging the families of the participating students and the community as a whole to attend tonight’s reception in support of these young artists.

Smith expressed appreciation to the local arts organizations that support the Troy City Schools visual arts programs, K-12.

“The Troy City Schools Education Foundation and the Troy Arts Council support our visual arts programs with grants that enable us to purchase supplies and the Johnson Center for the Arts allows us use of The Studio,” she said. “We greatly appreciate their support. In times like this, their support is very important. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to do many of the things that we do.”