West Point Fine Arts, a group formed by art lovers with a shared desire to promote and spread their passion, will be holding an exhibit this Thursday to not only celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, but to celebrate the continued tradition of art in the local area.

The main goal of WPFA, like the City of Valley Arts Council during their many exhibits each year, is to give aspiring artists a platform that they can display their work on. The first step to getting an area excited about art is bringing art to that area, and that is exactly what shows like these do.

The less thought about but equally — if not more — impactful aspect of these exhibits, though, is the networking that happens when so many artists converge on one environment.

Through feedback on each other’s work and the sharing of ideas and contact info, the art scene in the Greater Valley Area surges with new points of inspiration. Collaboration at all stages of the creative process can be helpful, from the point of inception to how one might display their finished products.

Also, local exhibits give artists not only input from other artists, they give them real, unadulterated opinions from those who are only observers.

Those observers, in turn, might purchase their work, share the pieces on social media or get the word out via conversations with their friends, all of which create a larger buzz around the local artists and grows the art scene as a whole.

A bigger art scene ads to the culture of the area and that culture uptick breeds more artistic expression, continuing the trend of creation and celebration.

Art exhibits are exciting to a smaller area like the Valley for many reasons, and supporting them is good for everyone.