Ominous clouds and inclement weather were not enough to stop Lincoln Elementary School art teacher Lydia Stith and her students’ third annual art display at Adams County Farmers Market (ACFM) Saturday.
The showcase of kindergarten through fifth grade student artwork was created as a way to display and share their creative talents with the community.
“This is my favorite day of the year,” she said.
Her third-year teaching and third year in art education, Stith is always excited for the opportunity to share in her students’ passion and bring that enthusiasm out to the community.
“They make amazing art and if it goes from the art classroom to their home, nobody gets to see it,” she said.
Each grade’s art was inspired by works of a famous artist, including Vincent Van Gogh sunflowers, Georgia O’Keeffe poppies, and Henri Matisse’s bird’s eye view of apples.
Stith considered the weekly farmers market that runs from May until the end of October, the “heart of the community,” and is a classic venue setting because it represents a slice of the community.
“All walks of life come to the market for affordable fresh fruits and vegetables,” she said.
The art show was still able to happen at ACFM last year even though schools were closed due to the pandemic and Stith credited the partnership as a great relationship because the outdoor market does everything to insure social distancing.
Art at the Market is popular with students as well as patrons and vendors of the market, with many stopping to admire the artwork.
About half of Stith’s student population came out to the market along with their families to see their work displayed. “Every single one of my students has artwork here today, and Lincoln is a big school,” she said.
Throughout the day, Stith greeted students and their families warmly and excitedly with the attitude of knowing each of them and their exhibits personally.
The art show is a great experience for children as they get to stand by their creations and show it off to everyone, according to Stith.
“They are so prideful in seeing their art displayed at the market,” she said.
Stith looks to keep the showcase a continuing annual market event.
“Art is a connector of the community, it crosses all language barriers,” she said.
More information about ACFM can be found at https://www.acfarmersmarkets.org/.
More Lincoln Elementary student artwork, creative moments, and art class fun can be found on Instagram at Miss Stith’s Art Room.
A.L. Grabenstein, reporter, is a graduate of Philadelphia's La Salle University with a B.A in Communication and has been a journalist since 2016. She has reported for the Gettysburg Times and the Times Herald in Norristown, PA. Grabenstein moved to Gettysburg from Montgomery County in 2019. She was born in San Antonio, TX., and previously lived in Virginia, and North Carolina. Grabenstein is actively involved in the borough of Gettysburg and loves giving voices to the local community.