Leah Granskog, Reporter
The high school’s annual Summer Art Show opened on September 29 in the Main Lobby Art Gallery and will run through November 1. This show, which is open to submissions from both faculty and students, is designed to showcase artwork that was created over the summer.
The exhibition features a diverse group of pieces. “Visitors can expect to see everything from film, painting, and drawing, to costume design, pottery, and photography,” said NCHS Art Teacher Maggie Pennoyer. “The sky is sort of the limit here.”
One standout submission came from senior Aubrey Stevenson, who submitted a full costume of the character Princess Zelda from the video game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. “For a couple of years, I went to my dad’s comic shows, and I saw a lot of people dress up as their favorite characters, so I wanted to get involved,” Aubrey said. “I think it was two years ago that I started making my own costumes.”
After two years of perfecting her costume and wearing it to two comic shows, Aubrey decided to submit it to the Summer Art Show. “I’m taking AP 3D Art this year, and I was talking to Ms. Pennoyer about art stuff that I did over the summer, and that was the one thing that came to mind,” Aubrey said.
However, the goal of the show extends beyond showcasing student and faculty work created over the summer. According to Ms. Pennoyer, one of the purposes of the show is to showcase work created by juniors who, last year, won the Bernice Dobkin Hall Scholarship Award. This scholarship allows artists in their junior year at NCHS to attend an art program of their choice during the summer to deepen their skills and artistic experience.
For example, senior Summer Campo, a recipient of this scholarship, submitted a lace top and skirt that she had made during a summer program in Paris, which she was able to attend thanks to the scholarship. “I really liked the whole process of making it and learning from the professors in Paris,” Summer said, regarding her three-week program. “It was just a great experience overall.”
Senior Henry Stein also received the scholarship. Over the summer, he chose to attend film classes at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, New York, to pursue his interest in filmmaking. For the Summer Art Show, he submitted a short film called Film Title, which he created during the program. “It’s a funny commentary on how Hollywood makes movies,” Henry said. “We couldn’t think of anything to actually make a film about, so we just decided to make a film about thinking about making a film.”
Ms. Pennoyer believes this show is about more than just showcasing artwork. “We hope students gain a sense of safety in expressing their personal voice, and we hope they gain a sense of community participation,” she said. “It’s for students who like to participate in the visual arts to have a place where they can feel comfortable to do so and to celebrate all the hard work they’ve done.”
