Kim Woodward hoped her middle-school students would have an opportunity to display their artwork.

Thanks to a group of downtown Tamaqua businesses, that hope became an reality. A group of approximately 20 local businesses will help host an art walk featuring the students’ creations that are posted on their front windows for the public to view.

“I’ve been teaching 20-something years here,” said Woodward, who is a TAMS art teacher. “Traditionally, we do an art show at the end of the year in one large area. Because of COVID, I still wanted to showcase the students’ work in a COVID-safe environment.

“The businesses are receptive and I also think it’s hitting a market of the community that might not normally go to an art show. You can’t help but see the art like pop artists in the ’60s.”

Middle school students used programs such as Sketchpad 5.1, Google Drawings and Quick Draw to create all of the work that can be seen on both sides of Broad Street.

“It’s good prep for ninth and 10th grade when you use Adobe Photoshop and then some of them may use this as a career,” Woodward said.

The art walk starts at Kays Kakes on East Broad and travels all the way to the Tamaqua Administration building on West Broad.

“Usually after turmoil, art is the thing that helps heal,” Woodward said. “I think it’s uniting us as far as distance learners and in-house. It’s uniting the community. It’s an outlet, it’s positive mental health and it’s something we can all relate to. Just seeing art can change someone’s mood.”

It’s been a learning curve and there’s been some trial and error.

Earlier in the pandemic, Woodward said she would drive by students’ houses and attempt to grade their artwork, as students would hang their work on their windows.

“I think that the creativity is just blossoming as the year goes on,” Woodward said. “They’re getting better on it (Sketchpad); I’m getting better on it. I hope it goes away soon and we go back to old school. But even when we go back to old school, there’s no going back 100%. This is always here.”

The artwork will be on display downtown for about two weeks.

“Some of the kids spent 6-8 hours on one piece of digital art,” Woodward said. “I had 80 kids at one time doing Star Wars characters after school. They’re doing it because they want to do it, not because they have to do it.”