The Third Street Gallery was overtaken by Moscow Middle School artists for the January Artwalk on Thursday.

Students at Moscow Middle School in Shanti Norman’s art class drew ordinary objects in detail — while one of the students upcycled clothes into art.

Amelia Barker, a seventh grader at Moscow Middle School, is the proud artist of “Dad Jorts,” a pair of cutoff jeans with cow print and a few of her dad’s favorite things, like overalls and hats. They were a Christmas present for her dad and now hang in the Third Street Gallery next to a small purse, a Christmas tree and a few stuffed animals.

Megan Cherry, arts program director, said the gallery features a range of artwork, from literary to sculpture to paintings. The gallery has been overseen by the city and the art commission since it opened in September 1997.

When Barker and her family arrived at the gallery around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, she and her dad posed for pictures with the jorts and went to see all the other art. Dozens of people wandered through the three halls of art on display and grabbed some of the snacks available.

“Every project they do, I always display it in the public somehow, whether it is in the hallway outside of the classroom, or in the community somewhere,” Norman said of her students’ work.

This year, she got the classes a spot during Artwalk to display their work where the community could see it. Showing their work off is important to Norman and to the kids. Her students were given the prompt to either pick something in her classroom or a small object from home, and then she helped them draw them in detail.

Barker’s art was part of an after-school program between Moscow Middle School and the University of Idaho secondary art methods class taught by Lauren McCleary. They brought in clothes they had found at a thrift store and gave the students two after school sessions, to create whatever they wanted. Barker said it was fun to get to try something new and learn how to paint on denim.

The upcycled art was on display for Thursday night only, but in a small box exhibit by Cherry’s office on the first floor is the current home of some of Norman’s students’ smaller drawings, and they will be on display until Feb. 11. This isn’t the first time Moscow Middle School students have been displayed at the Third Street Gallery; they were also shown at the 2020 exhibit called “Connections.”

“I just feel it’s important for them to feel like they are a part of the community,” Norman said. “Because they are and I don’t think they feel that way. And I want them to realize that the community really cares about them.”

As people entered the gallery, they all stopped to take a look at the students’ work and admire it.

The Third Street Gallery is also where the UnFancy exhibit is housed, and it included paintings, sculptures and poems that highlight ordinary objects. The displays were part of Artwalk, a monthly event from the city of Moscow and the Moscow Arts Commission to highlight many of the local artists.

Nelson can be reached at knelson@dnews.com.