Woolaroc Museum Displays Bartlesville High School Class Painting

A freshman art class at Bartlesville High School is getting recognition for a project it completed as a group.

The class's painting is being displayed at Woolaroc Museum.

Related Story: Bartlesville Students' Artwork Now On Display In Woolaroc Museum

After weeks of painting, art students at Bartlesville got something a little more than an A on an assignment.

"I was a bit shocked," said Bartlesville High School student Erick Melendez. "I didn't expect such a school project to be in a museum."

The painting is modeled after William R. Leigh's Custer's Last Fight Mural, which is also displayed at the Museum.

Each student replicated a section of the original painting and put it all together in square canvases.

Lea Burke is one of the Art teachers at Bartlesville High said she hopes the students got something more valuable out of the project than just a letter grade.

"I love this for freshman," Burke said. "I love having them work on something bigger...physically bigger than themselves. What a lesson. You have to work on things bigger than yourself."

Woolaroc Museum director Shiloh Thurman said replicating the original piece is a daunting task, so when he saw what the students made, he was amazed.

"To be able to tackle a project like this, it takes a lot of determination, a lot of hard work, a lot of teamwork and just natural insane artistic ability," Thurman said.

Museum leaders say through the partnership with Bartlesville Public Schools, this won't be the last time a student mural is on the wall.

"We have this collection here that can inspire them to go above and beyond and develop that passion for art and history and all that we have to offer here. This is just one of many in the future that we have as far as partnerships goes with local students," said Museum CEO Kevin Hoch.

The painting will be displayed at the museum through June 30th.