Nipher 7th Grader’s Artwork Selected for Prestigious SLSO Picture the Music Exhibit

Students in Dr. Ellen Holley’s art class at Nipher Middle School recently participated in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s (SLSO) Picture the Music program. Among more than 500 student submissions, 7th-grade student Valentina Ventura Prieto’s artwork was selected as one of just 100 pieces chosen for display in the Picture the Music awards ceremony and traveling art exhibit.

Picture the Music is a cross-curricular program coordinated by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra that invites students in grades K–8 to explore the connection between music and visual art as tools for emotional expression and regulation. Through listening to music and responding with drawing or painting, students learn to recognize, process, and express their emotions in creative and healthy ways. This year, students listened to and responded artistically to Contact, “Codes” (Movement II) by SLSO Composer-in-Residence Kevin Puts.

Dr. Holley offered the project as an optional “Sketchbook Challenge,” which students completed during regularly scheduled sketchbook time at the start of each class. After engaging with the music, students created original artworks inspired by their emotional responses.

The Picture the Music awards ceremony honoring selected finalists will take place on Wednesday, March 25, at 7 p.m. at Powell Hall in the Jack C. Taylor Music Center. Finalists’ artwork will be displayed during the ceremony, and each student will receive an award. As part of the traveling exhibit, Valentina’s artwork will also be showcased at venues including Powell Hall, the St. Louis Art Museum, and the James S. McDonnell Planetarium.