Ava Fonss, Reporter
@afonsscourant
Over the summer, students and faculty are able to spend their free time in many different ways. One prominent summer activity is art. This year’s Summer Art Show exhibit, located in the lobby by the main office, shows a variety of art pieces completed over this past summer by students and faculty alike.
Digital Art Teacher Jeanne McDonagh is involved in this show, which has been a yearly school tradition since around 1990. On the night of open house, this year’s show made its first debut on Thursday, September 12 and will be running throughout the month of October.
The goal of the summer art show is to have a welcoming environment where the artistic abilities of the school can be easily seen. “Both students and faculty are invited to put their work up,” Ms. McDonagh said. “A change made about ten years ago was when we decided to let staff enter as well.”
Students and staff members can now openly submit their work in the art show. “It’s not a curated show, so if you want to put something in, it’s up to you and we allow it,” she said. “The show is open to everyone, so there really is a nice range of different artwork by different people.” A variety of students choose to enter their art, and there is a broad spectrum of media and skill levels presented. The small amount of limitations on submitted work appeal to both students and faculty.
Freshman Avery Morawa entered her artwork this year and she said how she likes this aspect of the show. “It was just a good opportunity to put my art up in the school, have it on display, and get my work out there.” Avery said.
The show has no specific theme, so a variety of media is shown. “It allows me to be free with what I’m submitting and they’re not really putting a limit on our creativity,” Avery said. “I like that it’s not a judged competition because it’s great for people to just put up their art, and we can really see the different styles of the different artists.”
In addition to students, many faculty members also choose to enter their artwork in the Summer Art Show. English teacher Darcy Smith entered her photographs taken on her vacations to Paris and South Carolina. “I like how the only requirement is that the artwork was created over the summer,” she said. Ms. Smith has been interested in art since she was a child. “The show is a great way for teachers to show their hobbies, because classes are usually focused on the students.”
The pieces from this show will be taken down on Friday, November 8. In addition, students will also be able to participate in other art shows throughout the year, but the Summer Art Show is the only one that includes faculty members.
