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Rulli Bros. displays art by Boardman students
BOARDMAN
Boardman residents can appreciate the fruits of their tax dollars starting Monday at Rulli Brothers on South Avenue.
For the next month, Kate Sears’ fifth- and sixth-grade art students are displaying their still-life drawings in the lobby of the store.
A fan of Rulli Brothers’ pasta sauce, Sears typically brings in sauce jars from home when she teaches still-life drawing.
“It dawned on me that [the drawings are] really cute. It’s really like a poster for the store. I realized I should just get them hung up,” Sears said.
Sears thinks it’s important to show community members that they made the right decision by voting to pass the 5.8-mill emergency levy for Boardman schools this past May.
“We need show that having art means something to students in a personal way, and we’re thankful it’s not taken away,” Sears said.
Sears also wants her students and the community to know that Boardman’s art program has given students a unique opportunity to develop advanced artistic skills.
“They have opportunity they need to brag about. They should be proud they go to Boardman, because we have art all through elementary school. They have the opportunity to be this good,” she said.
In her classroom, Sears encourages her students to start thinking about pursuing careers in art.
“I’m thinking of starting professional development for students that are serious about art. I’d have an artist lecture with a local animation artist and a workshop day, too,” she said.
Her students already have starting thinking about how to incorporate art into their careers.
“I want to do something in arts or mechanics. You can mix both of them together,” said Jimmy Carkido, a sixth-grader whose art is displayed.
Sears plans to rotate the art displayed at Rulli’s each month.
Michael Rulli, director of operations for Rulli Brothers, is enthusiastic about what the display will add to his store.
“We usually get like 20,000 people a week, so that would be a good way to expose the public to art and get kids excited about art. And it makes the store prettier,” he said.
Sears does not want to stop at one display. She is looking into other options for displaying her students’ art in the community and is working on partnering with nursing homes in the area.