Over 1,000 artworks created by local students will be on display in the windows of Breedlove’s, and other downtown businesses during the Prairie Chicken Arts Festival July 19-20. [Prairie Chicken Arts Festival photo]

Who knows? The early works of the next Pablo Picasso or Georgia O’Keeffe may be on display in the windows of downtown Kewanee stores during the annual Prairie Chicken Arts Festival July 19-20.

Volunteers posted the artwork of 1,022 students from eight schools in store windows on Monday for viewing by the public during the celebration.

When the Art in the Windows project was started in 2017, there were only 408 pieces of student art on display.

Volunteers gathered recently at The Stables to mount student artwork on black construction paper in preparation for display in downtown windows during the Prairie Chicken Arts Festival. [Prairie Chicken Arts Festival photo]

Schools entered are Central, Neponset, Wethersfield Elementary, Irving, Belle Alexander, Visitation, Wethersfield High School, and Kewanee High School.

There is one entry per student artist.

The school with the most entries will receive $300 for art supplies, with $150 going to the school with the second most entries.

The annual festival, designed to celebrate local artists and promote public art, will also feature an art show and competition in the lower level of New View Furniture, and chalk art competition on the old go kart track west of PhatBoys BBQ.

If you are not artistically inclined, how about wearing some art? Face painting is one of the free kids activities on Saturday, July 20.