By Sara Ballenger

The Los Altos Art Docents will host their 31st-annual Student Art Show tomorrow through Sunday at Hillview Community Center. Artwork from every Los Altos elementary school student, K-6, will be showcased. Several seventh- and eighth-grade artists will also have pieces in the show.

About 3,500 pieces of art will be on display in several rooms at Hillview Center.

“You are going to see all types of media, from pencil, cut paper, watercolor and collages,” said Vanessa Wright, Art Docent Chairman.

New this year will be a display of digital art from a class of Springer Elementary School students.

“The students will be displaying art made with Photoshop, which is a first,” Wright said.

The show is not judged, but places emphasis on the students’ sense of pride and accomplishment from having their own work on display.

“It is important that each student has the opportunity to display their work. It is part of the full experience of creating and then having a show,” Wright said.

The docents donate art books to the libraries of the participating schools. Students can place stickers on their pieces after viewing the display. The docents count the stickers and the school with the highest percentage of students who visited the show win an additional art book for their library collection.

Family-friendly arts and crafts, including paper sculpture, watercolor, and mask making, will be available 1-3 p.m., Saturday.

“A lot of kids make art and end up wearing it. Parents end up having as much fun,” said Art Show Chairman Jay Grolle, of the family-themed event.

On Sunday, storytellers from Palo Alto and Los Altos will tell tales of artists and art.

“It will be fun to see how the storytellers interact with the kids. I am really looking forward to that,” said Ruth Wilford, an art docent and publicity coordinator.

The Los Altos Art Docents is a volunteer organization providing classes in watercolor, clay sculpture, brush painting, graphic design, print making and art appreciation for kindergartners through seventh-graders in the Los Altos schools.

The exhibition is open 3-5 p.m., Thursday and Friday, and 1-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.

Hillview Community Center is located at 97 Hillview Ave. For more information, call the art docent office at 941-4010, ext. 18.