Students Get Hands-on Experience with Western Art in Annual Reenactment Day

48 students came to Schreiner University to study and take pictures of longhorn cattle, horses, chuckwagons, Native Americans and cowboys. These students are part of the Western Art Academy, and every year they have the opportunity to get hands-on-experience by taking photographs and creating oil paintings and sculptures of the reenactment of western art. The artwork created by each student during the academy will then be auctioned off July 7.

The Western Art Academy Reenactment Day is a favorite among the students lucky enough to attend the academy says Liliana Lovisa, Administrative Specialist for the Cailloux School of Professional Studies. “They love it! This is their favorite part of the trip because they get to interact with the animals.” She further explained that the students are required to paint western scenes so the reenactment day gives them firsthand experience with the cattle, horses, and other aspects of western heritage.

The Western Art Academy officially began in 1984 when the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, in conjunction with their Western Art Contest, gave eight students each $1,000 Cowboy Artists of America Scholarships to Schreiner College for a six-week summer art workshop.

The Academy is now held annually at Schreiner University. It has become an intensive four-week program of advanced art instruction specifically created for talented high-school art students. The students are able to receive one-on-one instruction in oil painting and sculpture from nationally recognized professional artists.

Schreiner University Dean of Professional Studies, Dr. David Smith, says the students learn more than just artistic skills. “They are getting a taste of college life. They are making more decisions themselves. They are learning to be more independent.”