Student artists lend creative support for Christine Ann Center mission

Artists joined hands with empathy as the Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services Center hosted an art gallery at Becket’s on February 6. The Christine Ann Center, a non-profit organization throughout Winnebago and Green Lake counties, helps women find comfort and solace in situations of domestic abuse. The gallery, held in hopes of raising awareness about teen dating violence and abuse, featured pieces by teen artists surrounding the theme “Love Shouldn’t Hurt”.

West art teacher Jason Ryf, who  attended the contest's opening night, recognizes the importance of the event and why it’s beneficial for the community to get involved.

“It helps to draw a bit more attention to domestic abuse and bad relationships. It’s also nice to see something in art that you can relate to,” he said. “They wanted to have an art show that would get the community involved and to bring up the topic.”

Fellow art instructor Linda Geffers agrees, noting the critical importance,  especially for high school students.

“Obviously, the subject matter is very important, and with the artists being the age we work with, in high school, it’s nice to make people aware of what they’re working on,” she said. 

Geffers feels any chance to display student artwork should also be seized. 

“We love opportunities to showcase our student work,” she said. “There's not a lot throughout the year, so the more we can do that, the better.”

One unique facet of the event was its local engagement. Community members got to vote on the best art pieces, and the voting was entirely in the hands of the public. Geffers notes that it was beneficial for both artists and viewers. 

“The art got to be seen by more people, and then also the topic got to be hopefully discussed and thought about by more people as well,” she said. 

These transformative art pieces  also come with a monetary value, as community members sought to buy them, according to Geffers.

“We had offers from people in the community that wanted to buy our student work. That speaks volumes to our students' skill,” she said. 

Two students from West took home first and third place awards. Junior Lauren Ebben won first place for her oil painting of herself as a baby, and senior Brandi Root took third place for her still life oil painting. Ebben felt honored to be recognized in the community.

 “It feels really good, because I put a lot of effort into the painting,” she said.

 Root appreciated the opportunity to network..

 “It feels really great to just be recognized and seen in the community,” she said. 

The gallery has grown over previous years from a simple display, only reaching a few people, to a longstanding gallery, reaching many visitors and representing Oshkosh teens. Geffers sees just how drastic this shift has been.

“Up until this year, it was pretty much just one night for a couple hours. Now it was up at Becket's for the entire month, just like a regular art show,” she said.

The art gallery at Becket’s ended up being a resounding success, raising awareness about domestic abuse while showcasing the talent of local teen artists. The event highlighted the importance of community involvement, addressed serious topics, and gave an outlet for young voices to be heard. 

“The community seems very appreciative that we have students who are involved,” Geffers said. “It’s great that the students are working so hard.”

by Dania Mian and Kathryn Scheivert

Published March 17th, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue VI