Art Walk turns Oak Harbor into student gallery
Published 1:30 am Friday, May 1, 2026
Elementary school students’ paintings, drawings and pottery filled storefronts in downtown Oak Harbor last weekend during the 23rd annual Art Walk.
Art teachers from the Oak Harbor School District’s five elementary schools estimated they collectively selected more than 2,000 works for display from April 23 to 26. Some teachers chose a piece for every student, while others selected work based on craftsmanship, variety and character.
“Sometimes you get a sloppier piece, but it is just the quirkiest, funniest idea,” Hillcrest Elementary art teacher Carla McCoy said. “And so it’s like, ‘Okay, yeah, I have to put that in anyway.’”
The Art Walk is a collaboration between local businesses and teachers that showcases student artwork and draws visitors downtown. McCoy said students and community members look forward to it each year.
Beyond its community impact, educators say the event highlights the educational value of art.
“Events like these teach students that art can be created for different purposes, display being one of them,” Broadview Elementary art teacher Rachal Marcus said. She said knowing work will be displayed can influence craftsmanship and presentation.
Crescent Harbor Elementary art teacher Linnane Armstrong said exhibiting student work builds confidence and teaches patience, since students must wait until the end of the year to take pieces home.
“This is the big payoff because they have one of their pieces on display and then in the next couple weeks they’ll get to take home a whole portfolio of art,” Armstrong said. “It’s a cool way for them to learn how to wait and why you would wait to display something.”
Oak Harbor Elementary art teacher Betsy Gmerek described art as a “universal language” that helps make classrooms more inclusive. Marcus added that students learning English as a second language often “excel in visual arts,” and students with behavioral challenges also tend to thrive in art class.
“Maybe it’s having a little bit of choice in what they do, like color or materials, or maybe it’s just calming,” she said.
Armstrong said art helps students grow beyond the classroom.
“That’s one of the greatest joys for me, seeing how some kids can thrive so much in the art classroom and use that to pivot success into other places in their lives, too,” she said.
