Jessica Powers and her father were among the first guests at Gallery 2017, Middle Gate Elementary School's spring student art show. The two had the opportunity to speak with art teacher Jean Walter, and then began taking in all of the art that had been produced by the elementary school's students during the school year.

Jessica proudly showed her father a plastic plate that was filled with clay cookies. There was a chocolate wafer sandwich cookie, a peanut butter-chocolate candy cookie, and others on the small plate, each of which had been created by the fourth grade student after she and classmates had been introduced to the art of Andy Warhol and Wayne Thiebaud.

A large table in Mrs Walter's art room was filled with small plates and boxes of similar baked goods. Tarts and pies had been laid out next to small pastry boxes filled with colorful cupcakes.

Hanging on a chalkboard above the table was another collection celebrating Pop Art. Fourth graders this year had their introduction to the art movement of the 1950s and 60s extended when, after working on their 3D clay creations, they were introduced to the process of mono print-making. Multiple prints of a single image hung on the wall behind the table where their clay pieces were on view, with Warhol-style views of pies, candies, donuts, and other temptations.

Elsewhere in the art room, other tables were filled with coiled clay snakes, a project of third grade students; and watermelon pinch pots, which had been done by first grade students, among other collections.

In neighboring hallways, families found bulletin board after bulletin board covered with dozens of works.

Shape Snowmen and Silly Pumpkin Faces done by kindergarten students filled one board. Another nearby space featured paper mosaics done by first graders inspired by the paintings of Alma Thomas, and color circles created after they had been introduced to work by Wassily Kandinsky.

Watercolor birch forests inspired by Claude Monet shared space with paper cutout pieces based on Henri Matisse's work, all done by second grade students.

Third grade artwork included a collection of Aboriginal art paintings, juxtaposed with landscape paintings celebrating the work of Vincent van Gogh.

As attendees worked their way around the school's hallways, heading back toward the main entrance, the final collections of work presented additional pieces by Middle Gate's fourth grade students. One set of works, called "An Eye for Color," had multiple lessons. Students had leaned about primary, secondary and tertiary colors, which were used to color the iris of an oversized eye. They then looked inside themselves, and filled their artistic pupils with simple drawings and symbols, creating their own self-portraits.