Ocoee High opens The Knight Gallery at The Exchange

The budding artists at Ocoee High School now have a place to showcase their talents. The school held a grand opening on Wednesday, March 29, for it’s new art gallery - The Knight Gallery at The Exchange.

“We’re so excited about it,” said Janet Bergh, one of the school’s art teachers. “We didn’t have a good place to display (the students’) work, but this is front and center. I’m really proud of the work that the kids do.”

Located in the 800 building, the gallery fills the space that was previously occupied by the school store. Since the students use electronic devices in class, supplies like pens and paper weren’t needed, so the school decided to shut down the store and turn it over to the art department.

In January, the art department began work on converting the neglected store into their new gallery, clearing out the unwanted school supplies and painting the walls.

Now, the walls are covered in a variety of students’ artwork, from photographs to paintings.

“They talked about it for a really long time, so it’s great that it’s finally opening,” said junior Alexis Romesco. “It helps the students showcase their creativity and what they can do.”

For Kacy Cartwright, the chance to showcase her artwork in the gallery serves as an inspiration.

“I really like it because it gives me a chance to display my work,” said the eleventh-grader. “None of the students at school ever sees what I do, and I put hours and hours into my work. (The gallery) makes me more motivated to put more stuff in here.”

The school held a soft opening for the gallery earlier in March, but many students saw it for the first time during the grand opening. 

To mark the occasion, students gathered outside the gallery to listen to music from the school’s Jazz Band and Concert Choir while several of the senior art students set up easels in the courtyard to work on their art. After a short presentation from Principal Laura Beusse, the ribbon to the gallery was cut and the doors opened.

“To me this is what makes education powerful,” Beusse said about the opening of the gallery. “The more opportunities we have to showcase their talents, the better. This is our playing ground for our artists.”

The Knight Gallery will operate like most other art galleries, changing out the artwork on a regular basis to feature different artists. Currently, the display features photographs, drawings, watercolor paintings, acrylic paintings and graphic designs.

“This is a great way to show the talents that the school possesses,” said senior Katelyn Murphy, who had a photograph featured in the gallery.

Since the gallery is located on school grounds, anyone who is interested in visiting it must make an appointment with the school’s front office, but Bergh said they would be happy to give tours to anyone who visits.

Contact Brittany Gaines at [email protected]