Eastern’s Tarble Arts Center, along with the Illinois Consolidated Telephone Company, is sponsoring a traveling children’s art exhibit in east-central Illinois.

“Cultivating Creativity”, the ICTC Children’s Art Exhibition, is in its seventh year and features various works from grade school, junior high and high school students from east-central Illinois.

“The winners, 42 in all, were chosen during the 2000-01 school year,” said Michael Watts, director of the Tarble Arts Center.

“The mission of ‘Cultivating Creativity’ is to congratulate area schools for including an active art program as part of their curriculum,” he said. “The program also wants to recognize the excellent work done by the students through these programs under the direction of their art teachers.”

Laura ZuHone, the senior manager of corporate and marketing communications at Illinois Consolidated Telephone Company, said that it is very important for art to be incorporated into the public school’s curriculum.

“This program helps introduce the world of art into young people’s lives, which is important,” she said.

Watts also mentioned that art is a very important part of a well-rounded education.

“Studies prove that children who are actively involved in art do better in all other studies,” he said.

Watts said art can possibly spark interests in children who don’t necessarily have other interests in school.

“Art provides students with other means to excel academically,” he said.

The exhibit began travel last year on Sept. 28 and will be on display in various places until Aug. 15.

Since Jan. 2 and until this Thursday, the exhibit is featured at the Citizens National Bank in Oakland. On Friday, the exhibit will move to the Edgar County Bank & Trust in Kansas, Ill. where it will stay until Feb. 4.