Katie Jahns Executive Editor
@kmjahns
Students may have noticed, after a friendly good morning from Mr. Egan and Mr. Rothman upon entering the school in the morning, a recent addition to the welcome staff. Abstract paintings, majestic wildlife photography, and a constant stream of student films decorate the atrium of the school, greeting students as they walk by. The summer art show has begun.
Ms. Sinski, a photography teacher and one of the main organizers for the show, emphasized the wide range of opportunities offered by the art show. “We invite anybody to participate as long as it was created in the summer before the art show,” Ms. Sinski explained, “There’s a sculpture case with sculptures by Ann Pakhayev and Peter Harvey that were done in metal and wood, which is a unique material that we don’t always get to see.” But the show is not only open to award-winning students; in fact, there are no awards at all.
“The summer art show is more outside art, not made at the high school, but over the summer,”Ms. Sinski explained, “So it’s not really about the awards.” The purpose of the Summer Art Show is to give every member of the NCHS community the opportunity to show off their talents, whether art their intended career path or just a hobby. In past years, the school has had submissions from security guards and cafeteria workers. “It’s really fun to have staff and faculty participate so kids can see what the teachers have been doing artistically over the summer,” said Ms. Sinski.
In terms of stand-out work, Ms. Sinski said, “I am really excited about some of the faculty work that was submitted, especially Mrs. Browner’s photography series from her safari in Africa. She took some really stunning photographs that are close-ups of exotic animals.
Another artist who stood out to Ms. Sinski was junior Timmy Hardy. “Timmy did a photography series that was done in Vietnam and Cambodia, Ms. Sinki said, “it included some really intense, kind of deep emotional pictures.”
This valued tradition, which is often seen as a creative kickoff to the school year began over 15 years ago. “It’s a real traditional show, we try to keep it the same. That’s why we use the same dripping popsicle logo year after year, said Ms. Sinski. “It brings a sense of consistency and people get excited about the show and just to see what we’ve been up to over the summer.”
Despite the consistency of the logo, the show still varies year to year. “Sometimes we have sculptors, sometimes we have potters, sometimes we have painters,and sometimes it’s a heavy video archive of film that was made over the summer,” Ms. Sinski said.
The annual Summer Art Show is a refreshing change of pace for art teachers, who look forward to viewing submissions from the event. “I just love the unknown,” says Ms. Sinski. “We work with students all year, helping them with their art, so we get a real clear visual of what their doing,” On the other hand,“When the summer art show comes around, everything is a gift, it’s brand new,” Ms. Sinski said.
Another treat for the art teachers is getting to meet new students.t, “I get to meet students who have made things and submitted things who I’ve never had before or don’t take art,” Ms. Sinski said, “It’s really just refreshing for the art teachers to see new material.”
Next time as you shuffle to and from class, take a moment to stop and admire the wide variety of artistic talent this school had to offer, and you may find yourself being inspired to create a work of your own.
