Jammin’ at the Gallery showcases parish gifted and talented students

St. Mary Parish students ranging from elementary to high school performed monologues, songs and poetry at Saturday’s Jammin’ at the Gallery event outside of the Everett Street Gallery.
Abbie Paradee, talented theater teacher at Berwick Elementary, junior high and high school, helped organize the live student performances. Many of the students gave performances that they are familiar with or have worked on in class, Paradee said.
Artists Guild Unlimited President Diane Martin said the gallery hosts an art show for all parish students each year but artwork being showcased now at the gallery is concentrated on students in gifted and talented programs, Martin said. “That’s why we had the singers and the people doing monologues,” Martin said.
Some of the students are talented in theater and music, and showcased both of those abilities, Paradee said. “It’s a nice experience. It gets the kids involved in getting to be out in the community showcasing what they can do,” Paradee said.
The arts jam has been held on the west end of the parish before, but this year is the first time Everett Street Art Gallery hosted the event, Paradee said.
The arts jam was started by talented visual art teacher Becky Bergeron, who teaches at Berwick Junior High, Morgan City High and M.D. Shannon Elementary, in another venue so Martin contacted her about hosting the event, Martin said. Martin came up with the idea to have outdoor performances similar to “the old miracle plays” where people would see each act of a play in different parts of the city, she said.
Students performed their acts once in the morning and once in the afternoon Saturday in front of the gallery.
Martin, who taught at Morgan City High School for 20 years, also invited Morgan City High School students who did senior projects to bring those projects to be displayed at the gallery, she said. “The whole idea was to have our talented and gifted students showcased to the whole parish so the people of St. Mary Parish can see what children can do,” Martin said.
The students’ fine arts projects will be displayed at Everett Street Gallery through Saturday. The gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.