Magic moment for Rei Hendry at Cooks Gallery as student art exhibited

Rei Hendry and students at the opening of their Cooks Gallery art exhibition. Photo / Bevan Conley

Cooks Gallery is bubbling with chatter, occasionally intertwined with the high-pitched laughter of children surrounded by bold and bright colours.

There are flashing lights and spotlights, highlighting displays of construction, masks, through-the-window paintings, printmaking, imagination and observational works.

They feature things like flowers, mushrooms, pumpkins, horses, castles, insects, mountains, turtles, fish and other sea creatures.

The works have been put on display in the gallery on Trafalgar Place as part of an exhibition by students of Rei Hendry.

"Every year in the middle of winter, to bring it to life and brighten it up, my kids who come to The Art House set up this exhibition," Hendry says.

"This is magical, yesterday the mums and the kids were all here to help set things up and what makes me really happy is the crowd of people here to see the work today."

Hendry is the art teacher at James Cook School in Marton and has been running after-school classes since the late 1960s.

"I'm at the stage now where I've taught grandparents, parents and kids and to me that is an incredible privilege," she says.

"It's a lovely community of kids, it's the joy of watching them grow up that I like most."

Cooks Gallery. Photo / Bevan Conley.

The works displayed were done between last July and the start of this month by an estimated 30 students.

Hendry says students in New Zealand are lucky to have art as part of their curriculum.

"It's very valuable because it's using the right side of the brain. The left side of the brain as we all know is that numeracy and literacy side.

"But the right side of the brain, that's the dance, the drama, the music and the visual arts - they're a vital link in children's learning."

The exhibition will run the duration of the school holidays and will be open from 10am until 2pm every day except Sunday.