The following article was submitted by the Rahr-West Art Museum as part of their Art Forward series.
The Rahr-West Art Museum closes its 2022 Youth Art Series with the artwork of Roncalli Elementary and Middle Schools this May. This exhibition will cap a four-exhibit series for the first time since 2019.
Youth Art Series grew organically over the history of the Rahr-West. The original Rahr Museum and Civic Center hosted student art in the spring of 1951, mere months after the museum formed. The city’s Catholic schools joined in the late 1990s at the invitation of then-director Richard Quick. They were followed by high schools throughout the region, which allows for the museum to promote a wider student art imprint. In 2022, the Rahr-West Youth Art Series included more than two dozen school districts stretching through five surrounding counties.
Roncalli Art Educator Kathy Zutz
Roncalli’s exhibition, which opens to the public on Sunday, May 15, will also cap a remarkable 31-year career of arts educator Kathy Zutz. Zutz has taught artwork through three iterations of Manitowoc Catholic schools, and has been involved in all 27 years of exhibiting at the Rahr-West Art Museum. She says of the Rahr-West exhibition, “Kids are blown away to have their artwork in the same gallery as some of the world’s greatest artists. It’s very special,” adding that it is gratifying to have visitors compliment the student’s art without using the qualifier, “…for a parochial school.” This year’s exhibition incorporates artwork from every student at the two schools, a goal Zutz strives for every year.
As a teacher of art, Zutz says that she’s learned it’s most important to “stick with the two A’s: Aesthetics and Appreciation.” She explains that these two concepts transcend art and life. Taking time to learn skills that allow the student to create visually what they have in their mind is the aesthetic component. It is to be combined with appreciation for the ability to successfully send a message through visual art. Zutz hopes that many of her pupils continue to appreciate their abilities as well as appreciating the skill that’s made great artists so enduring.
Youth Art Series: Roncalli Catholic Schools exhibition runs May 13-May 22 in the museum’s Ruth West Gallery. An opening celebration will take place Sunday, May 15, beginning at 1pm. The event is open to the public.
