POLAND — Susan Bevil moved to Poland four years ago with a background in art.

For the last 30 years, she’d taught art in New York and Connecticut, working with teachers and adults on different types of projects. Bevil, a professional artist who runs Little Artists Art Studio in Poland, said she’s always looking to bring art to her community.

She got the opportunity to do so last week when she unveiled her “I Love Poland” art project.

“It gave me goosebumps,” said Bevil. “It made me emotional seeing all the work that was put into this exhibit.”

The exhibit features 28 pieces designed by Poland elementary, middle and high school students. The artworks were featured in various mediums, from pencil to water color and acrylic paint, with each student writing a description of what they drew and why they drew it.

The display, one of the first of its kind in Poland, is located in the grassy area in front of the Parks and Recreation Department building.

Bevil said the idea for the exhibit came from working with the kids at the Poland Community School. She works at schools across the state, but found the most talent and creativity with Poland students.

“The kids here told me all kinds of stories about what they loved about Poland that it got me thinking what I can do to bring more art to Poland, and that’s how it got started,” said Bevil.

The project was a year in the making, with Bevil getting approval from the town and the school department last year. All throughout the year, she remained in touch with art teachers in the Poland schools, supplying them with the material for the project and picking them up when they were done.

Bevil said she could have connected with local artists to help with the project, but she has always had a passion for working with kids.

“It’s really fun and enjoyable to see what kids come up with if you just give them the right tools and the right environment,” said Bevil. “It gives the kids a voice to express themselves, which sometimes they don’t have that opportunity. The kids put their heart and soul into this project, and I hope this inspires more kids to use their voice through art.”

The funding from the project came after talking to community members about bringing more art to the town, said Bevil. She was able to connect with some longtime Poland residents who saw her vision and sponsored the project.

Two of the young artists in the exhibit are Enna and Rebel Nelson.

Enna, 8, drew a picture of a snake she saw at Mr. Drew and His Animals Too, which recently moved to Poland. Rebel, 10, drew a picture of animals and a tree, showing her love for the animals and nature around town.

Seeing her daughters artwork that Wednesday night made their mom, Elizabeth, proud.

“I feel very happy we are part of this community,” she said. “Everything displayed in the exhibit perfectly wraps up what we love about this town.”

Elizabeth Nelson, who works as a library teacher at Poland Community School, had the chance to see some of the artwork before they were displayed.

“I really appreciate Susan (Bevil) and the art teachers knowing the importance of students themselves seeing their work publicly displayed,” she said. “They do a lot of great work all the time but it’s important we share that with the community.

“They are the future of this town, and it’s really great to see that they love this town and want to grow it.”

For Enna and Rebel, they were glad to be able to express what they love about Poland.

“When I was introduced to this project, it sounded like a lot of fun,” said Rebel. “I thought it would be cool to show people my art.”

“I like how other people would know that Mr. Drew is in town and it’s really great to be in Poland since there’s a lot of great places,” said Enna.

The exhibit is expected to stay at its location until the town’s annual Poland Heritage Days at the end of September. Afterward, it could become a permanent display in a new park being constructed behind the Parks and Recreation Department building.

Bevil said she hopes this project won’t be the last of its kind, and that it will be an inspiration to others.

“Art makes people happy, and I want to give the people of this community more of a voice,” said Bevil.