There's an art to teaching.

And there are art teachers.

Contributed photo (ENLARGE)

A painting by Ronnie Harrison titled 'Ocean Front.' Harrison is a teacher at D.H. Conley High School.

But what do you get when you get art teachers creating art? You get "Rock the Bus!" an exhibition of art work by Pitt County Schools' art teachers that will be on display at Emerge Gallery and Art Center today through July 11.

"This is the third year we've done this show," said Emerge's Executive Director Holly Garriott. "And it's only open to art teachers in Pitt County."

Emerge will hold an opening reception for "Rock the Bus" from 6-9 p.m. today.

Garriott got the idea for the show from talking to her mother.

"My mom taught for 25 years," she said. "Teachers works so hard and sometimes we forget that they also have great talents."

Garriott and Jane Austen Behan, the Art Education Coordinator for Pitt County Schools, have worked together each year to present the show at Emerge.

"She's coordinated everything — got the teachers to participate and got the word out." Garriott said. "And she really helped get the first two off the ground."

The show encourages art teachers to get into the studio because they know they have this one deadline every year.

"It helps them refine their talents," Garriott said. "The gallery is packed, and their work is very bright and colorful."

In addition to encouraging the teachers to work on their artistic skills, it showcases their works to an impressionable audience: their students.

"And it helps build respect between the teachers and their students," Garriott said.

Just down the street from Emerge, the Greenville Museum of Art will present its Pitt County Public Schools' annual Student Art Exhibition from grades K-12 Tuesday through July 19.

The museum will hold an opening reception for its show from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday.

The reception is a pretty big deal.

"Last year we had about 350 guests at the reception," said Education Director Charlotte Fitz.

And that includes not only the young artists and their families but Pitt County School art teachers and even a few principals.

Fitz isn't sure how many years the show has been held, but she can date it to at least the 1960s.

"I've got a letter from 1969 that I unearthed," said Fitz. The letter expressed a concern for the museum's floors with the children traipsing through it, she said.

Obviously that one letter didn't deter the museum from continuing to hold the annual show.

"I'd say that we have at least over 100 pieces," said Fitz. "We have a lot of 3-D work this year, papier-mâché and clay."

Other mediums include crayon, oil painting and collages.

The show is large enough that it takes over the Commons and the West Wing galleries.

Contact Kelley Kirk-Swindell at 329-9596 or kkirkswindell@coxnc.com.