Colton student art on display this month at Dahmen Barn

An exhibit of student creativity is on display through May 26 at the Dahmen Barn, titled Imagination - a pathway to the future.

With a grant from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation’s Community Strategies Fund, Artisans at the Dahmen Barn coordinated a broad series of creativity sessions for Colton Public School students with practicing artists from the region.

Artisans at the Dahmen Barn is committed to nurturing creativity as a means to innovation so crucial in staying ahead in today’s competitive world.

The small K-12 school has not had art for many years due to funding cuts, so the students enjoyed being able to experiment with new mediums.

The creativity sessions ran from October through April.

Many pieces on display are for sale to help fund a creativity program next year. Some of the art projects were done on fabric so that the pieces could be incorporated into quilts, wall hangings, tote bags and purses constructed by local artistic seamstresses who volunteered their time, and many of the participating instructors donated their work to the cause.

In addition, several talented community members have donated items they created to assist with fundraising, including a grandmother clock and an original collage painting by the donor of the Barn, Junette Dahmen.

In addition to items created from student art work, the silent auction includes creative opportunities for children.