Artwork on display in MUSD district office

Student, faculty and staff artwork was on display at the second annual MUSD Art Walk Thursday in the Maricopa Unified School District offices. 

The show included 3D sculptures, photography, graphic design pieces, drawings, paintings and elementary school collaborative projects created by students in grades K-12.

“It’s basically to show off the talent here in the Maricopa Unified School District,” said Peter Ventrone, graphic design teacher at Maricopa High School and organizer of the event.

He said teachers at the high school chose the best work in their classes to be displayed at the event.

“We asked the other teachers at the other schools to do the same,” he said.

Chalisse Bell, a seventh-grader at Maricopa Wells Middle School, attended the event with her mom, Kaitee Doll-Bell, to admire her piece and the work of her peers.

“What I was going to do was a geisha, but then it just kind of turned into a woman from the 1800s,” Bell said.

She said she completed her piece for extra credit in her art class.

“It took me about an hour,” she said.

Her mom said she is proud of her daughter and her artistic abilities.

“She is a four-sport athlete, so I love for her to have a creative outlet to express herself,” Kaitee Doll-Bell said. “She’s been artistic since she was little.”

***ADVERTISEMENT***Attendees had the option to vote for their favorite piece and whichever one has the most votes will be awarded the People’s Choice Award. There will also be a Best in Show for high school, middle school and elementary school artwork selected by a group of district art teachers.

Winners will be chosen sometime next week and the artwork will remain on display until the end of the school year.

“There’s a lot of artistic talent in the district and this is a nice way to showcase it all, Ventrone said.