A Kannapolis student’s artwork has been on display at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., throughout August.
Joseph Earl Levy III, a rising second-grader at Fred L. Wilson Elementary School, was one of two students in the state selected for the “All Kids Can Create” exhibit sponsored by CVS Caremark. His work was chosen from 3,000 other submissions.
Joseph’s piece, titled “My friends,” features a number of different colored hands. He wrote the following narrative about it:
“People are people and friends are friends! My friends are all colors. We know each other mostly by hair color and style. I used to be the ‘fast kid with the mow hawk.’ All that matters is that we play and have fun together. Martin Luther King and my Mom inspire me to work hard for the rights of all people.”
Veleria Levy, chair of the Rowan County Democratic Party, said she’s proud of her son’s accomplishment and appreciates the help he received from art teacher Mary Lineberger.
“Joseph really enjoyed art (last) year and it all started with Mr. Lineberger, who makes it just so very fun,” she said. “That’s another reason why we do not need to cut out art in our schools – when kids create they have fun and it helps them to learn how to think out of the box.”
U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell recently stopped by the library to visit Levy’s artwork.
“Joseph’s artwork will serve as a small piece of home on display to the entire nation,” said Kissell. “This exhibit spans all 50 states and showcases our youth’s ability to create inspiring works of art. On behalf of our district, I am proud to have Joseph’s artwork represent our great state.”