Starting in the ‘70s, three teachers from three different Catholic high schools got together to create the All Catholic High School Exhibit.

These three teachers, Bob Willits from Creighton Preparatory School, Carole Debuse from Cathedral High School and Monica Baxter from Skutt Catholic High School, pulled together a show to recognize student work.

“We felt the Catholic schools’ art teachers and students needed a connect to bring them together to celebrate the best of the creative work that these students were doing,” Baxter

said.

Art in and of itself as well as this exhibit

allows these young artists to discover more about themselves and share their ideas with the community, Baxter said.

“Students need the opportunity to share their artistic gifts with their community,” Baxter said. “It starts at school and hopefully reaches out through service projects and other involvement with the greater community.”

In addition, art provides meaning for the individuals and through education in art, students develop skills they can use everyday,

Baxter said.

“I think students need to find their voice

within the creative process, and we need to educate all students to understand, evaluate and critique the visual culture they are bombarded with these days,” Baxter said.

Though originally the show began at the College of St. Mary, for a number of years now Creighton University has been host to the All Catholic High School Art Exhibit.

“The show has a vast variety of style, mediums used, and subjects and it is truly wonderful to take it all in,” said Arts & Sciences

senior Jessica Riehl, who helped to put this exhibit together

There is a closing reception for the exhibit on Friday. The reception will be hosted in the Lied Education Center for Arts and the young artists will be there along with their families, said Douglas Schroder, instructor at both Creighton and Duchesne.

“There will also be a voting slip for a best of show prize awarded at the end of the reception,” he said.