The 2021 Focus Show is set to feature 141 pieces of art from students who represent over 17 high schools and more than 27 art teachers from Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Dating back to 1971, this exhibition is one of the longest running and largest high school art shows in the region. For the past 50 years, art teachers from districts throughout the area have been showing their support for students by submitting their artwork to the Focus Show, once known as “Expression.” Celebrating the passion that both students and teachers have for the visual arts, the Focus aims to continue the development and importance of art education.
The Focus Show creators believe that art and artists have the power to heal, inspire, provoke, challenge, and offer hope. They help us to reflect on our lives, communicating stories, triggering emotions, and challenging boundaries. The 2021 Focus Show directors Jennifer Moorman and Jodie Peace say that “art encompasses the human experience and makes a profound impact on history as visual proof of how we are all connected.” With the mindset to advocate and promote arts education, a connected community is created, which is the ultimate goal of the student exhibition.
The show’s opening ceremony will be held in the Little Theater at the Toledo Museum of Art on November 19 at 6pm. Students will be recognized and honored for their talent in the visual arts. American Frame, The Arts Commission, The Athena Society, The Toledo Museum of Art, Art Supply Depo, and The University of Toledo along with the Focus Show Jurors will be giving monetary awards to selected students. The evening will also consist of honoring the founders and history of the Focus Show to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The event is free and open to the public.
Students’ art will be on display at The University of Toledo’s CVA Gallery from November 15 through December 10 and will be open to the public during the Gallery’s regular hours: Monday-Friday from 8am-7pm.
To get a preview of some featured work, click here to view the event postcard.
