The Johnson Center for the Arts is getting an early jump on the art center’s annual Student Art Show. This year’s show, titled “Mini Artworks Show and Competition,” is sponsored by Troy Bank and Trust Company and the Johnson Center for the Arts.

Wiley White, JCA exhibition coordinator, said the student art show is one of the most viewed shows of the year.

“Student participation is excellent and the family members of the young artists and the entire community enjoy seeing their artwork exhibited in a public gallery,” she said. “We are excited about the Mini Artworks Show and Competition and are looking forward to another great student show.”

Pam Smith, retired Charles Henderson High School art teacher, is putting the show together and said a mini-artworks show is challenging in that the artists must work on a small canvas – a canvas the size of a dollar bill.

“Students are challenged to find creative ways to express themselves on a mini-canvas,” Smith said. “What is especially interesting about this student art show is that it is sponsored by a bank, Troy Bank and Trust, and the canvas must be the size of a dollar bill.”

The Mini Arworks Show & Competition is open to all area schools, grades K-12. There will be a first, second and third place winner for each category. Ribbons will be awarded.

There will also be a “Best of Show” awarded for each student age division. The teacher of the Best of Show award students will be given $50 to purchase art materials for their classroom. The students will receive ribbons.

“What is so exciting about this student art show is that, because the artwork is so small, we will have a lot of exhibition space,” Smith said. “So we will be able to accept more entries; therefore, we have eight categories for entry – drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, photography, graphic design, digital imagery and computer graphics, and mixed media. In each category there will be additional choices; for example, color and black and white, watercolor, tempera and acrylic.”

With school just underway, students might not be thinking about Mini Artworks just yet, but it will be a fun and exciting competition.