By Amber Fua

Correspondent

A group of Suffolk Public Schools students showed off their talent Thursday at an art show opening held in the Old Dominion University Tri-Cities Higher Education Center near Harbour View.

The off-campus site for ODU’s main campus in Norfolk is displaying the artwork of several students ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade.

The opening was a low-key event where parents, teachers and students could mingle, said Ellen McClintock, master advisor and enrollment services specialist.

However, the public is invited to view the students’ artwork for free, as it will all remain on the walls of the second floor until the end of February.

“I love that ODU provides us the space, because a lot of the people who take classes here would never see something like this otherwise,” said Suffolk art teacher Carol Payton. “It provides a very nice opportunity to expose the general public to student artwork.”

Art from a variety of mediums can be seen decorating the halls, from a metalwork giraffe and a few feathered ducks to pastel pumpkins and ink drawings.

“It gives him a lot of pride,” said Billy Singletary of his fourth-grade son’s art. “I think it’s a pretty cool way to acknowledge the kids.”

The attendance and interaction of the community is delightful, says McClintock.

This event has been a biannual tradition for the past five or six years, and McClintock says the Tri-Cities Center is already looking forward to setting up the art show for the spring.

The current exhibit will be up until the end of February, and can be viewed on the second floor from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Old Dominion University Tri-Cities Higher Education Center is located at 1070 University Blvd.