Steward School show features works of 21 artists

The Steward School has always had the arts at the core of its curriculum. Now arts are the core of the school's fall festival, too.

The first fine-arts show at the school's Cramer Center Art Gallery on Gayton Road in Henrico County features works from 21 artists, most of them local.

Prices range from $160 for the stained-glass "MacKintosh Mirror" from Atkinson-Betts Stained Glass to $4,600 for "Barn in the Wings," an oil painting by Greg Osterhaus.

"We were brainstorming about something fresh and new for fundraising," said Martha Rhodes, co-chairwoman of the fine-arts show. "Once we came up with the idea, it was obvious that it was a brilliant thing for The Steward School, because art is a thing we treasure so much. Our children are bringing home masterpieces they create. We hope they will be inspired by the art in the show."

A different Osterhaus painting got the attention of Jack Sims, a Steward seventh-grader, during an opening day reception last week for the school community.

"I like the cow," he said of an Osterhaus composition listed at $4,400 and given the simple name, "Red Against Green."

"It's realistic, cute," he added.

"It looks like it's popping out at you," agreed Jack's mother, Laura Sims, who also brought his brother Kyle, a fourth-grader at Short Pump Elementary School, to see the show.

Kyle's taste was a little more modest. He liked "Prairie Wings," a giclée print on canvas of an oil painting by Guy Crittenden at $750.

"They're all really special because they're so different," Rhodes said. "It's fun to see such variety in one place."

The 61-piece show includes a "Paper Wrapping Coat" by Frankie Slaughter that could be worn if you dared to do that with a $3,500 investment; fused glass by Jude Schlotzhauer; clay sculpture by Sonja Stoeckli; watercolors by Beverly Purdue; and so on.

Next weekend, the annual school bazaar will add a selection of handcrafted jewelry, clothing and other designs by local artisans.

An artists reception for the bazaar and art show, featuring champagne and desserts for $10, will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The bazaar and art gallery will be open Friday, 10 a.m. to noon and 2-4 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the fall festival. The gallery show is open at other times by appointment through the end of the month.

Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or .