Every year the art students at Garden Valley Collegiate get to share their artwork with a unique audience; moviegoers.

Scott Bell is part of the art department at GVC and says their partnership with the theatre goes back over 15 years.

"With Landmark Cinemas in Winkler, they allow us to create a large-scale art display in their lobby, and it's student-created artwork. We pick a movie and the students will create, in this case, a mural, featuring characters from that movie to help promote the film. Then in exchange, we get a matinee viewing of the movie on opening day."

The films they pick can vary from Star Wars to superhero films or films based off of literature like The Hobbit.

"They get excited about doing artwork for things like this. Most students are into movie culture, particularly science fiction, and fantasy, and superhero imagery and culture. They really get into this project and every time we do it there's fantastic work created."

Art can teach students a lot about fantasy, and fiction, but it can also give them insight into the world around them. Bell says students have become increasingly aware of media and visuals, and how to replicate that in their art through bold colours, and iconic images. This can help them to learn about foundational art techniques, which they can then build off of.

They can gain "a visual awareness, an ability to connect with other people to compare different kinds of artwork, to draw on your own personal knowledge and experience to help better understand things you see. Art has a lot of connections to everyday life, and it enriches your everyday life," says Bell.

He notes students outside of the art room can also participate in the theatre projects through graphic design classes, drafting, photography, and video.

Bell says seeing the students and staff working together in a creative way is one of the reasons he loves to go to work every day. "Garden Valley Collegiate has a first-rate art facility. It's supported by our administration and staff. There's a never-ending stream of talented artists and students that come through class, it's fantastic."

As well, Bell looks forward to seeing students continue their studies and then returning into the area to find job opportunities in the art field.

"Art opens your mind. As opposed to creating a narrower focus of what you appreciate, it opens things up to you, it expands your enjoyment and awareness of the world around you."

Bell says attendance at art shows is often low, whether at the high school or the Winkler Arts & Culture Centre, so finding different ways to display the student's work is important. "Over the course of the Christmas holidays, usually about 5,000 people make their way through the theatre, so that's 5,000 people seeing student artwork, which is encouraging."