"This show is really special:" Milwaukee Art Museum showcases student pieces in new exhibit

Art museum student exhibit

2018 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum

MILWAUKEE -- Thousands of submissions but only a few hundred art pieces have been selected to be a part of this student exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Inside the main hallway of the Milwaukee Art Museum is Amanda Roessler, a sophomore at Brookfield Academy, who can now add accomplished artist to her resume.

"I had no idea that it would be here. I thought it would just be in the hallway of my school," Roessler said.

2018 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum

Thousands of art students from all across Wisconsin, grades 7 through 12, submitted pieces to be a part of the 2018 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition, and only 300 were selected to be displayed at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

"This show is really special, it's not censored in any way. So students can talk about issues that are really important to them," Shannon Molter with the Milwaukee Art Museum said. "Which we all feel at the museum is really an important part as developing yourself as an artist."

Art pieces ranging from photography, drawing, sculptures, and animated shorts -- to something like fashion.

"I decided to use softballs because my school had just brought back a softball team to our high school for the first time in 20-30 years," Roessler said.

2018 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum

Amanda Roessler

And that was her inspiration for the dress. A top made entirely out of softballs and stitching. The bottom part - made out of bat bags.

"I was really excited about that," Roessler said.

These pieces will be on display until early March. Judges will select finalists to go onto National Art Competitions in New York and another one in Washington D.C..

2018 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum

"Joining the ranks of artists Andy Warhol, Phillip Pearlstein, Nancy Burkehurt, who are all also scholastic art awards alumni," Molter said.

These artist makes it clear - even youth can produce thought-provoking pieces of art - good enough - for a museum.

2018 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum