"Creativity and community" on display during BFPP art exhibition

To end their session in Explorations in Art in fall 2025, 20 students in grades 3 to 6 in the Bellingham Family Partnership Program (BFPP) invited their families and friends to an exhibition of their creations.

Ahead of the exhibition hour, a flurry of activity took over the space as the students put finishing touches on their art, continued to hang pieces on stacked boxes innovatively used as a multi-sided display, and finished the Explorations in Art collaborative sign.

BFPP principal Kate Baehr taught the 12-week art class and said that the class included an overview of many different art concepts and techniques. She shared these included “line art, patterns, single point perspective, foreground and background, 3D, dot art, and layering.” On display were drawings, paintings, weaving and clay objects created by the students, each one an expression of individuality.

“The students created a lovely environment where creativity and community could thrive,” Baehr reflected. “The exhibit gave students an opportunity to review their art portfolio (collection of projects), identify the pieces they were most proud of, give their art a name and decide on how they wanted to display their work,” she continued.

“There was a lot of pride in the room.  I was particularly impressed with how they walked around and gave thoughtful and caring feedback and comments about their classmates’ creations.”

Angela Vizina’s kids Tate and Redding were in the art class this fall. She shared that they were excited about “trying new mediums and experiencing art projects with friends and peers.”

“I could tell there was a sense of pride in what they had accomplished with their art and having a whole class devoted to sharing that with friends and family reinforced that sense of accomplishment,” Angela said.

Checking in with Angela’s students about the class and the exhibition, Redding (grade 5) shared that she enjoyed working on the embroidery project and said “It felt good having everyone see my artwork and being able to see how hard I worked on my projects.”

Tate (grade 3) relayed that her favorite project was the wall hanging and said that she too “felt really good” about the exhibition, adding proudly “I liked having my work photographed by another person.”

Photos from the December 2025 art exhibition are available here.