Local students were able to express their artistic creativity at the Village Library of Morgantown's first Teen Art Show.

The artists gathered in the library's community room on July 23 to display their artwork, some of which was for sale. The pieces remained on exhibit in the library the following week.

Participating students were Lael Sanouvong, Roxanne April and Athena Colodonato, Garden Spot High School; Natalie Fetzer, Conestoga Christian School; Autumn Grubb, Owen J. Roberts High School; Shelby Schwab and Natalie Wheeler, Twin Valley High School; and homeschooled students Tabitha A. Donahue of Morgantown and Maura Taylor of Birdsboro.

Autumn displayed paintings as well ceramic pieces, including ones designed to hold a candle. "I did all the ceramic pieces in ceramics class at my school," she explained, noting that items were not for sale and that she creates them as gifts for family members. "You can put LED lights in them or a candle."

Among the items that Maura exhibited were handmade earrings, which she created by placing tiny beads on a wire and then shaping the wire. She also wore a homemade ring to the event. "People tell me I should sell (the earrings) on Etsy. For the (small) ones, it takes about 15 minutes. (The larger ones) take one to two hours," she said, adding, "I (make earrings) for fun. I enjoy it. I listen to audiobooks while I do it."

A homemade staff was part of Tabitha's display, which she created using a broomstick. The top of the staff, which resembles a torch, was made with plastic cups. "It's a staff from a cartoon I watch - 'Adventure Time' on Disney+," she noted. "I took a broomstick and I painted it. I used plastic cups and wrapped them and put foam in there to keep it sturdy. I cut the hard foam with a metal wire cutter."

Library director Maria Gerasklis-Long reported that more than 50 people stopped into the library on July 23 to view the display and to purchase some of the works. "The idea (was to give teens a way) that they can express themselves. COVID taught us a lot about tapping into our creativity," she said. "We would like to do more of this throughout the year. We talked about (displaying art by) different age groups - like senior artwork."

The Village Library is located at 207 N. Walnut St., Morgantown. For more information about upcoming events, visit http://www.facebook.com/VillageLibraryofMorgantown or http://www.villagelibrary.org.