RMS students Noah Gist, Blanca Rayo and Emily Peters arrange artwork on a table in the RMS library in preparation for the upcoming RMS art show on May 20.

Russellville Middle School art teacher Nancy Meeks said her art students continually impress those who attend their annual art show, and this year will be no different.

Meeks said year after year she sees how talented her seventh and eighth grade art students really are and said she would put some of their work against more accomplished artists any day.

“Some of the students I teach have such a natural talent and it’s such a joy to teach kids who have a real passion for art,” she said.

“The students really take in what we learn throughout the year and make those principles come to life through their artwork. The result is creating something beautiful with meaning and it translates to other people, not just to me or to the other students.

“And it never fails – we always have people from the community who come to the art show who want to buy the things that some of the students make.”

Meeks said her students learn many things in her art classes such as learning to paint like an Impressionist; drawing with pencil, pen and ink and charcoal; how to create collages; how to paint on ceramic tiles and bird houses; how to make pottery luminaries, vases, trays and Japanese tea bowls; and the principles of weaving.

“In these classes, students learn how art affects our lives on a daily basis and how it enhances our world,” Meeks said, “because there is not a moment on any given day when we do not experience another human being’s artistic expression.”

She added that learning about art from various cultures, times and places, as well as how art ties in with math and science, helps expand her students’ horizons and learn how beneficial art can be to them in their future.

“There are so many uses for art in a person’s life, and I think knowing this can make them well-rounded students,” she said.

“We invite everyone in the community to come out and see the great job these students have done throughout this school year.”

The annual RMS art show is set for Tuesday, May 20, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at the RMS media center. Artwork from all students will be featured.