ORONO – School’s out for summer. But printmaking art created this past winter and spring by students at the Indian Island School is on exhibit the Hudson Museum at the Collins Center for the Arts.

“Art from the Indian Island School” will be displayed in the Minsky Culture Lab through Sept. 7, when a public reception will be held. At the close of the 4–7 p.m. reception, the student artists will be presented with their artwork to take home.

Michael E. Vermette, the Indian Island School art teacher who helped organize the exhibit, says everyone is an artist and it’s his goal to build students’ esteem and skills to draw out their talent.

“I get a great deal of satisfaction seeing their eyes light up and the transformation a student goes through when their piece comes alive with color,” he says.

Each participating grade — fifth through eighth — used a different printmaking technique to create the art. Students in grade 5 made hand-colored etchings and youth in grade 6 created landscape prints from carved linoleum blocks. Grade 7 artists used techniques pioneered by Andy Warhol to create silkscreened photographic self-portraits. And students in grade 8 made color lithographs with a technique traditionally used to replicate multiple copies of original works of art.

“I like to challenge them so they’re proud,” says Vermette, adding he’s gratified when students are willing to show and share their work, especially self-portraits.

Vermette is an award-winning artist who earned a BFA in painting from the Maine College of Art and a certificate in art education at the University of Maine. The signature member of the New England Watercolor Society is showing at four galleries this summer: Gleason Fine Art in Boothbay; North Light Gallery in Millinocket; Lupine Gallery on Monhegan Island; and Yarmouth Frame & Gallery.

Through August, Hudson Museum hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.