How to go
What: TEJAS grand opening
Where: K12 Gallery, 510 E. Third St.
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 16
More info: (967) 461-5149 or www.k12gallery.com
For more than 17 years, the K12 Gallery for Young People has helped kids grow from creating stick figures, to still lifes, to designing large-scale murals. Now the gallery itself is growing.
The current 3,000-square-foot gallery on Third Street is expanding; knocking down an 18-inch brick wall has added 2,500 square feet.
The square footage will almost double the current K12 space. The addition wasn’t inexpensive.
“It was a huge problem. We needed $20,000,” said K12 founder and executive director Jerri Stanard.
“I wrote an e-mail asking for help. Frank and Becky Levinson and other board members responded, and then we received a huge donation from Dallas, Texas.”
Longtime friends Ron and Janet Shuff donated the lion’s share of what was needed. They moved from Clearcreek Twp. to Texas in the mid-1990s.
“I helped Jerri type up the original grant request for K12. She is a great friend, and has managed K12 so well,” Janet Shuff said.
“The gallery has grown from an idea to this big business that serves the community in a unique way.”
As the major contributors, the Shuffs received naming rights for the new space. Thus, TEJAS (Teen Educational and Joint Adult Studio) was born.
“What Jerri’s doing at K12 is a wonderful thing. She manages the artistic and business end of it beautifully,” Shuff said.
“She has such a heart for kids.”
Stanard said that K12 was expecting 45 new students just for the elementary studio.
Eighteen new students were participating at the high school level.
New eight-week adult classes will begin Feb. 19.
There will be two entries on the east side for the new Tehas space from K12.
“We’ve needed to expand for about five years now,” Stanard said.
“The amount of students we have in our current space, plus college interns, volunteers, parents and the artists in the community that help has caused our Saturday programs to become really crowded.”
In addition to needing additional classrooms, K12 has been borrowing space from the Cannery to house ongoing art projects.
Large projects such as the recent Liederkranz-Turner murals, and large-scale works being used for a collaboration with Montgomery County Juvenile Courts require large areas for painting and storage.
TEJAS’ grand opening on Feb. 16, will feature refreshments, live music by Bulletproof and a video presentation.
Featured exhibits include the Dayton Area Scholastics Awards and an opening “Dream Show” featuring Tiffany Clark, Scott Gibbs, Leesa Haapapuro and Donivan Hahn.
Also Dotty Jauch, Joey Hedges, Jess McMillan, James Pate, Rebecca Sargent and Susan Tyner.
Contact contributing arts writer Pamela Dillon at pamdillon@woh.rr.com.
About the Author