The Dalles Art Center displays student work, teacher memorial (includes photo gallery)

This started due to COVID, but was so successful that they’ve stuck with it.

TDAC Director Scott Stephenson said the project helps support students and make them feel appreciated.

“We really want to support the schools and students in the schools and give them that opportunity to show off their work and get that kind of outside recognition, which is really nice to have,” Stephenson said. “It’s really fun for kids to go downtown and see their artwork.”

For the middle- and high-schoolers, their work was displayed in TDAC, alongside a memorial for TDHS former graphic arts and photography teacher Doug Leash, who passed away earlier this year.

As Leash was an artist himself, many of his works were displayed among those of the students. The works were encaustic paintings (a type of art made with hot wax, colored pigments and rice paper) that had never been shown before, and some of the last he painted before his passing.

Choosing to display his arts with the students’ was symbolic, Stephenson said.

“Working with and teaching kids ... was kind of his legacy in town,” he said. “So to display the work throughout really made sense to us because of his impact on the art program.”

In the past, the art show has been a contest for the older kids, but given the addition of the memorial, Stephenson said it didn’t feel right. They wanted to show the art with admiration and without competition, he said.

Now that the show is over, Leash’s art will be returned to the family for them to use for his celebration of life, Stephenson said.