Student showcase bringing back old favorites
The Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation is planning to have more for the Fine Arts & Beyond Showcase this year: more musical performances, more art pieces — and more people overall.
The FAB Showcase is a communitywide showcase of artistic work and musical talent of Butler Area School District students and professional community artists. The 21st FAB Showcase will take place from 4:30 to 8 p.m. April 6 at Butler Intermediate High School.
John Reddick, a member of the scholastic foundation, said the program has gotten back to pre-COVID numbers in terms of attendance and artwork from students, and foundation officials plan to bring back some old traditions this year.
“We have in the past had 400 bid cards, so there would be at least 450, maybe 500 pieces of art total,” Reddick said. “We have estimated over 2,000 people show up.”
Reddick also said the foundation is bringing Artie the Dragon back to the showcase, a craft made to look like a Chinese dragon that moves through the crowd throughout the evening. Carrie Morgan-Davis, president of the foundation, said Shriner clowns will also roam around at the event.
The showcase will feature creations in many mediums from students in all grade levels in Butler school district. Many pieces will be for sale, which helps raise money for the foundation, but the main fundraising comes from sponsorships, as well as the raffles at the event, according to Reddick.
Morgan-Davis said the students’ artwork is the main draw of the showcase. Some students work on one piece for a majority of a school year, while others donate some of their art class projects to the showcase.
Some artwork on display is also judged by a panel, Morgan-Davis said, which helps get students excited to donate pieces to the showcase. And even though the students don’t take the money earned from the sale of their artwork, Morgan-Davis said that students seeing one of their designs sold is a big moment of pride for them.
Morgan-Davis also said she is also particularly surprised by how good some of the sculpted projects shown at the event are.
“I always like the sculpture; I am amazed by the quality of the projects that are entered in,” Morgan-Davis said. “They are absolutely beautiful.”
The FAB Showcase has become one of the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation’s biggest fundraisers, according to Reddick. He said money gathered through the event goes toward the foundation’s programs, from the Kids’ Weekend Backpack Program and creative teaching grants awarded within the school district periodically.
The products of some creative teaching grants will also be displayed at the showcase, but Morgan-Davis said the big draw is always the children’s art.
“There will be some displays from the creative teaching grant awardees; people are interested in seeing that as well,” Morgan-Davis said. “It's a nice opportunity for the students to show off their art and talent.”
The FAB Showcase is free to attend. For more information, visit the scholastic foundation’s website at goldentornadoscholasticfoundation.org.
