‘It will blow you away’

Every 11 years, Creston High School becomes a buzzing center for art students in the Hawkeye 10. Students and teachers from each of the 11 schools bring artwork and learn styles and techniques from one another.

The Hawkeye 10 Art Show is held every year, rotating the school it is held at. 2025 is the year of the Panther, and art teacher Bailey Fry-Schnormeier is excited to get the show on the road.

"It’s just a really great opportunity to come and see some amazing work from the youth in our region. It will blow you away; the work is amazing," Fry-Schnormeier said. "We would just love for people to come and look at all the hard work our students have put into their creations this year."

The art show will take place Thursday, April 24 in the Creston High School gym. Keynote speaker Chad Elliot of Jefferson will start the day off at 9 a.m. Community members will then be able to look at the hundreds of art pieces from the different schools. Meanwhile, students will have the chance to participate in a variety of workshops with Iowa artists.

“We have 16 artists: vocal artists, alumni and other professional artists from central Iowa,” Fry-Schnormeier said. "Not only do [the workshops] teach us skills or how to work with with a new medium, but then all of a sudden it opens that door to meeting these professionals and hearing about their stories and how they have gotten to where they are as artists today. Some went the art school way, some had prior careers and later found the arts. I just think it’s this really great opportunity to see the variety of career options there are in the arts."

The art show is a good learning opportunity for teachers as well. Fry-Schnormeier said staff use the experience each year to share lessons and celebrate milestones with each other.

Each school brings about 100 pieces of art and 20 students to the annual show. However, Fry-Schnormeier said work from more than these students are usually on display.

“Artwork can come from as many students as you want; it’s up to each teacher. Most teachers are going to pick those pieces that really excel and have not only met that standard but have gone above and beyond," Fry-Schnormeier said. “Personally, I include a lot of work where students have just really shown their growth, not necessarily the best in class but I know how much that student grew and how much time and work and energy they put into that, so as an individual artist, I know how much they’ve excelled, and so I like to honor those students and that work as well.”

This year, best-of-show awards will be distributed, one for each participating school. However, many find the showcase of student art as reward enough. The art show is a highlight of the importance of art in education.

“[The importance] is unmeasurable. It has such an impact in ways that we don’t see necessarily every day,” Fry-Schnormeier said. "I tell my students every year at the beginning of the semester that not all of them are going to pursue art in their future, but every single person in the room will need to be able to solve problems, to think critically, to be able to maybe think outside the box of how they can do something differently."

She said it also helps break up the school day, with students experiencing various learning styles rather than monotonous class after class. Creating art can help strengthen social and emotional skills alongside physical.

“Whether it’s in a formal education setting or its through Creston Arts, I just see the power of that learning through the arts and how it really impacts them socially," Fry-Schnormeier said. “I think it makes people better humans.”