The Zena and Pauline Gatov Gallery is exhibiting a collection of artwork by 63 Long Beach Unified School District middle and high school students from March 14 until April 1.
The artwork was submitted by LBUSD students across 11 schools for the 37th annual Norman Gottlieb Student Art Show, whereby student work will be blindly judged by a three-person panel of artists.
Teachers are allowed to submit six pieces of art per high school and four per middle school.
LBUSD Visual Arts and Curriculum Leader Christine Whipp said LBUSD has a “vibrant” arts program and that exhibiting student artwork is a way to “expand a sense of community” and help students see their work valued.
She said she was “struck by how deep the themes are” in this year’s exhibit, surmising that it was likely the result of the pandemic.
“These kids have things to express, and sometimes there are things that can’t be expressed with words, but you can really see it in their art,” Whipp said. “I really noticed how much this served as a vehicle for students’ self-expression.”
The show is sponsored by the Alpert Jewish Community Center through a fund established 39 years ago by past president Norman Gottlieb—whom Dana Schneider, director of Jewish life and culture, described as an “avid art lover and advocate for education.” The exhibition is now stewarded by Nicole and Daniel Honigman.
Schneider said the student exhibition is one of her favorite shows of the year.
“It’s always really interesting to see what the students come up with, the different mediums that they work in their creativity,” she said. “It sort of gives you a bit of a glimpse into what might be going on in the mind of middle and high school students.”
The top three participants from both middle and high schools will be awarded at a reception on March 24 at 6 p.m. at the Jewish Alpert Community Center in the Zena and Pauline Gatov Gallery.
The gallery is located at 3801 E Willow Street. Proof of vaccination or a negative test taken within 72 hours is required to enter.
