RINGGOLD, Ga. -- It's not just decor to make the walls look pretty.
Some of the 17 artworks recently donated to Catoosa County's Beth Kellerhals Center for Visual Arts Education mark important moments in history and tie them to education, center director Dr. Larry Bunch said.
The anonymous donor seems to be "greatly impressed that they will be used in an educational way," Dr. Bunch said.
The pieces tie to areas of education such as history, music and society, and give students a chance to study art they otherwise might never see in person, he said.
One of the pieces, "God Bless America II," is by Peter Max, best known for his work in the 1960s on Beatles album covers, Dr. Bunch said.
To see a Peter Max work "you would have to go to a museum or gallery," he said. The donated collection includes signed watercolors, serigraphs, lithographs and prints including works by other artists such as Zamy Steynovitz and Ira Moskowitz.
"We quickly put them on our gallery walls, and they're being seen by students and utilized in lessons," Dr. Bunch said.
After some biographical information has been created for the works, Dr. Bunch said, he wants to start a rotational gallery in which the pieces will be displayed in some Catoosa schools for a couple of months at a time.
Dr. Kim Nichols, Catoosa County director of school improvement, said the system is lucky to have the art center as a resource.
The collection "will enrich our program, and we are very appreciative of this generous donation," Dr. Nichols said.
The "God Bless America II" piece, one of a series Mr. Max did when the Statue of Liberty was refurbished in the mid-1980s, how hangs next door to the center at Ringgold High School.
Principal Sharon Vaughn said the piece makes "people's heads just kind of snap."
"They just don't quite know what to think to see that in a public school setting," Ms. Vaughn said.
The donated collection "sort of offers a window of escape" for viewers, she said.
"You can let your mind go outside the box," she said. "Students get an idea of how valuable art can be in their lives."
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