Artworks from Dorset schoolchildren are on display at the Scottsdale Art Gallery Cafe for the eighth annual Becoming Famous exhibition.

About 80 works will be displayed in the exhibition, which opened last Friday and will run until July 17.

Art Gallery Cafe owner Shirley Rootes Martin said it was important for the children to be able to display their hard work in a professional setting.

"I want to say to the kids, 'your work is important'.

"It was to give the kids an opportunity to see that their work is valuable, and people value the work students do," she said.

"They get to come into a professional setting and see their work - not just one on the wall at school but in a local community area."

Bridport Primary School, Scottsdale Primary School and Scottsdale High School students are involved in the exhibition.

The artworks are selected from each student's portfolio of their year's work.

Mrs Rootes Martin said she was pleased to have Scottsdale Primary School teacher Jill van den Bosch open the exhibition on Friday.

"I would really like to express how much I appreciate the work the teachers do to get the work in each year," she said.

"The students and their families really value the chance to have their work on display for the wider community to see what the students are achieving throughout the year."

Mrs Rootes Martin said former participant Hannah Gibb had gone on to become a professional artist, and she hoped more students might feel able to do the same.

The works are not for sale during the exhibition, and will be returned to the participants after it closes.