MoorArts’ annual holiday arts festival gives students in the school district a chance to share their visions with the community.
Art from the school district’s K-12 students will be exhibited at MoorArts’ annual holiday festival at the township recreation center on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Now a tradition, the free show takes place on the first Saturday every December right after the holiday parade. That event, hosted by the Lions Club, will be held at noon and will take place rain or shine. It is expected to feature local and county organizations, marching bands and other holiday attractions.
The parade route will begin at the intersection of Chester and Central avenues, then proceed up Main Street to its end point at Church and Main.
Two student representatives of MoorArts came up with the idea for the show years ago. They had seen how talented their peers were through school art programs, so they wanted to share that with the community, especially those without children in the school system.
“It’s always a fun event,” said MoorArts’ treasurer Lorrie Hullfish, who is also the art show’s coordinator. “I’m always amazed by the art, and it gives the town a way of seeing what their taxpayer dollars are funding.
” … It’s a great way to kick off the holiday season.”
The festival also gives singers, musicians and dancers a venue to perform seasonal and original music. There will be live entertainment by the Moorestown High School Madrigals and other local talents, as well as crafts for kids.
“It’s so cute,” Hullfish said of parents’ reactions to the artwork. “And the grandparents come in, and then there’s neighbors who will come without the kids to see … So people who come to see it, if they’re not even family members of the kids, it’s an amazing amount of pride.
“These kids are amazingly talented,” she added. “It’s fun to be a fly on the wall and listen to all the comments, so that’s a part that I really enjoy.”
MoorArts is an all-volunteer nonprofit that supports a performing arts curriculum throughout the school district and provides venues to showcase student talent, teachers and local artists. It also expands arts opportunities and awareness by teaming with area organizations and others in the community.
Since its inception, MoorArts has awarded more than 200 scholarships for outstanding achievement in the visual arts, vocal music, theater, instrumental music and dance. Other events include outdoor summer concerts at Perkins Center for the Arts and the Community House of Moorestown, and MoorArts co-sponsors Autumn in Moorestown, a yearly event hosted by the Moorestown Business Association.
“We shine a light on the importance of art education at large,” Hullfish explained. “Every school that you go into, MoorArts has contributed in some way, be it their programs or master classes … It helps to take the art to kids who aren’t just kids … in the arts but the larger community of the school.
“(It) helps spread the joy and the beauty of art throughout the district.”
