Wishart

Exhibit Dates: May 26th- July 22nd, 2023

Opening Reception: May 27th 6-9pm

Help us celebrate excellence in Art Education with this special exhibit honoring former Enterprise, Oregon High School Art Teacher Gary Wishart, and his brother Enterprise, Oregon K-8th Art Teacher Larry Wishart, and their former students!

Gary Wishart taught and developed an excellent art program at Enterprise High School for over 25 years, from 1976-2002. His students drew, painted, threw pots and hand-built ceramics. The end of the year art show and sale was always a major event, with a roomful of art, students, parents, and community members. Exchange students with limited English regularly took his classes, and often excelled at telling their stories in paint. Students who did not fit the “normal” student profile fit in Gary’s classes–as did the wrestlers and volleyball players. To be in his classroom–as a visitor–was inspiring.

>Larry Wishart taught 23 years of elementary and middle school art for the Enterprise School District from 1975 to 1998.  His students learned the basics of drawing, painting, and creating, which gave them the perfect foundation for his brother’s high school art classes.  Larry wanted each child to have as many experiences as possible working with all kinds of different mediums.  He loved his job and the students he inspired.  In 1999, Larry and Gary shared the Education Leader of the Year Award, presented by the Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce for their many years of service to the county.  Larry passed away on June 24, 2021.

Gary Wishart; Indian Beach; Watercolor