VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – An online student art exhibit is recognizing a Valley City seventh grader for his artwork.

Valley City Jr./Sr. High School student Ashtynn Wieser (7th Grade) is Artsonia’s Artist of the Week. He received more than 800+ votes on Artsonia.com, an online collection of student art portfolios. His teacher Stephani Krueger, says transferring to the Teaching for Artist Behavior (TAB) art philosophy and giving students the ability to have more of a voice and choice in their artistic journey has made such a difference in students’ art making. Students’ passion for art is flourishing more than ever.

Wiser says, he was happy and surprised his work was selected. His confidence in his art-making has grown this year in art and has more ideas for future artwork he is excited to share.

“I didn’t know that one piece of artwork would turn into something much bigger. I didn’t know if I was going to get enough votes to win,” he said.

On the importance of arts in schools, Krueger said the integration of the visual arts is essential for all k-12th grade students’ development. It is a subject that not only teaches fine and gross motor skills but also provides opportunities to grow socially and emotionally. She added, “The arts are all-encompassing we educate on history, science, literacy, and more. “The arts are such a benefit for all the rest of the curriculum.

Wieser’s win gets his school a $100 gift card from Blick Art Materials.