NORWICH – Since 2008, budding student artists across Chenango County have contributed more than 20,000 pieces of artwork to the online art gallery that is Artsonia, drawing a staggering 220,000 visitors to the website from across the globe.

According to Perry Browne Elementary art teacher Kathy Pfeifer, Artsonia is “basically a kids’ art museum,” one that not only provides students an artistic outlet, but allows them to create their very own art portfolio throughout their years in school. On Monday, Pfeifer gave a brief presentation on the online resource during the Norwich City School District’s Board of Education meeting.

Pfeifer called Artsonia a “great way” for parents to share their child’s artwork with friends and relatives, and a wonderful tool for art teachers countrywide to communicate ideas and lesson plans. Most students, she added, leave Perry Browne with approximately 35 pieces of art displayed at artsonia.com and – at the end of the year – that artwork becomes the student’s property. It’s a great way for aspiring artists to keep track of their work and begin building a college portfolio if they’re considering a future in art, she added.

Each student has their own screen name and security code, for safety reasons, and comments can be left by those viewing individual pieces of artwork. If a student were to relocate to another school district, said Pfeifer, they would still be able to access their portfolio. In addition, 15 percent of any artwork sold through the Artsonia website is returned to the school district from where it originated, money that’s used for field trips and art supplies.