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Commonwealth University-Mansfield is holding its 9th annual Master and Grasshopper Art Exhibit through Friday, April 28, in the Loomis Gallery in Allen Hall on the Mansfield campus. Admission is free.

This annual regional exhibition is held for high school art students and their teachers. Teachers select up to two students to bring one piece each of their artwork as well as one of their own to the event. The teachers provide a statement as to why they chose each student.

An awards reception will be held on Friday, April 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. Six awards will be presented: Best in Show, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place; Honorable Mention 2D, and Honorable Mention 3D. This year, 18 faculty and 28 students are exhibiting. Jason Strictland, an art teacher from Towanda Area Jr./Sr. High School is judging the exhibition.

Students from districts submitted a total of 46 pieces of artwork for the show. The 14 school districts represented are Athens Area, Boiling Springs, Chenango Valley, Cowanesque Valley, GST Boces Welding Program, Odessa-Montour Central School, Horseheads (NY), Lackawanna Trail, North Penn, North Schuylkill, Palisades, Tunkhannock Area, Williamson High School, Williamsport Area, and Williams Valley.

The first Master and Grasshopper event was held in 2015, by Professor Emeritus, Dr. Mardi Whitehouse. At the time, Dr. Whitehouse was the head of the art education program at Mansfield University.

The name “Master and Grasshopper” was inspired by the martial arts film genre use of the word grasshopper for someone who is not experienced. Hence, the title represents a teacher along with a student.