High School Art Trust — Art Connoisseurs at The Woodlands HS
Did you know The Woodlands High School has a 39-piece art collection by 34 Texas artists curated and purchased by its own student body?
The students have exceptional taste—many of the artists they have selected to purchase works from also have art works displayed in noted museums across the country. For example, artist Tamara Robertson has art hanging on the walls of The Woodlands High School as well as The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and a few years ago, The Art Trust purchased Kevin Peterson’s White Hat years before this artist became one of America’s art darlings.
How does The Art Trust work? First, The Woodlands High School students and adults in the Art Trust work to raise funds throughout the school year with a large portion of the funding coming from school dance ticket sales. Then, a student committee networks with Texas artists to assemble a body of eligible works, which is then put up for a student vote. Finally, the most popular artworks are purchased and hung in the halls of their school.
The inspiration for this program came from The Art Trust Program at The Greater Latrobe Senior High School in Pennsylvania founded in 1948. Latrobe has a unique collection of over 200 pieces of art. Both Latrobe and The Woodlands High School’s Art Trusts represent a fascinating reflection of the tastes, history and concerns of high school students.
Given the quality of art in the collection, The Woodlands Art Trust can be considered a community treasure unto itself. Free tours are available to the general public by contacting the high school’s main office at (936) 709-1200.
Artist Images: Pink Huddle (Penguins) by Stuart Hausmann, Packaged (water bottles) by Todd Stevens
