For Jordan Williams, 12, having her art displayed in an art show was an amazing experience.

"It's cool. It's like they're real pieces of art," the Redwood Middle School student said.

Many, like Jordan's teacher Sharon Campbell, would say that their work is nothing less.

Jordan's piece is a life-size self-portrait, made with paper. The piece is a study in anatomy, fashion design, proportion and three-dimensional sculpture.

Wednesday night, for the first time, Napa Valley Unified School District Middle School students held an art show. The show was the realization of a dream for many art teachers, and it instilled confidence in their students.

"(The students) have a tendency to devalue their own work," Campbell said. "So to have the rest of the world see it as art validates it for them."

The event drew a crowd of students and parents, and featured live music.

Silverado, Redwood, Harvest and American Canyon middle schools each are showing 15 pieces in the NVUSD District Office for two more weeks.

Olive Lopez, fine arts teacher at Harvest Middle School, was one of the leaders who made the art show happen. The show was a vision of hers, and she said she believes that middle school art should be recognized.

"We've wanted to do this for years," Lopez said. "It's an awesome experience, and other students are already looking forward to (the next show)."

The teachers plan to make the middle school art show an annual event, and next year, they plan to make it bigger. One parent volunteered to donate funds for next year's event, another bought a painting.

"Truly, education without art is like bread without butter ... pretty darn dry," Campbell said.