HOULTON – The walls of the Blue Moon Gallery in downtown Market Square are always bedecked with artwork done by area artists, most of whom are adults.

This month, however, it is the youth’s time to shine.

For the third year in a row, the gallery, which is located inside Visions on Main Street, is the site of the third annual Seeds of Creativity Art Show.

The show is sponsored by the Southern Aroostook Cultural Arts Project as a means to encourage artistic expression and build additional appreciation for art in the region.

Students from throughout southern Aroostook – including artists from the Houlton Southside School, Houlton High School, Hodgdon High School, and the Southern Aroostook Community School – submitted work for the show.

Young artists from East Grand High School, Katahdin High School and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians also entered their work.

The students’ work went up at the beginning of April and will be on display through May 29.

Last week, the gallery held an opening reception to laud the student artists and give them a chance to showcase their work for the public.

The gallery was filled to capacity with their work, some of which was splashed with color and some done in a stark black and white. Some artists rendered paintings of nature scenes, while others sketched movie stars, faces or structures.

Numerous easels and stand-alone displays, including a resplendent display of masks that was made by students in the gifted and talented program at the Houlton Southside School, also decorated the gallery.

During the two-hour event, visitors mingled throughout the exhibition room, pausing to look at the pieces and marvel at the color or the concept.

Bonnie Tidd, art teacher at Houlton High School, was one of the many people who were on hand for the show.

“I had about 35 students submit pieces to this show this year,” she said, pausing between sentences to greet students who streamed into the room. “There was no theme, the students were just allowed to be creative and to make something to reflect that creativity.”

Tidd works with both junior high and high school students, she said her students know that any work they create will be exhibited in at least one art show during the year, whether it is held at the high school or at another venue in town.

Right now, Tidd is working with officials at Houlton Regional Hospital to exhibit approximately 50 of her students’ pieces inside the facility.

Another art show also will take place at the high school on June 1.

Many of Tidd’s students stopped in during the event, looking embarrassed as Tidd or a parent asked them to stand beside their creation long enough to snap a photograph.

This is the kind of experience and exposure, Tidd said, that the students need.

“It’s a new experience for them, and it’s also a great opportunity for them to see what real artists do during receptions and what happens when a real artist puts their work out there on display,” she noted.

“It’s great for them to get this recognition,” she continued. “They deserve it.”

Rosalind Morgan, co-director of the Blue Moon Gallery, agreed.

“It’s wonderful for them to get this attention,” Morgan said. “You see how talented they are right now – imagine what they’re going to be able to do in the future.”