The Tower Pulse

The Tower Pulse

The Tower Pulse

Polls

What is your favorite spring sport

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Students showcase talent in annual ArtFest

Photo by Ava Lux '12| The 2012 ArtFest features art from students from South. All students in the program must contribute to the show.

MARISSA DAY ’14 | Academics Editor

South’s annual three-day ArtFest opens Wednesday, March 28 in the Multi-Purpose Room, running each day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will also feature an awards ceremony and opening night reception from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The show is open 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday night as well. There will be everything from ceramics to metals and drawings available for people to see.

ArtFest gives students the opportunity to showcase pieces for the school and community in a way that would have otherwise left them with no means of getting their work out to larger audiences, Kit Aro said, photography teacher and main facilitator of the event.

“ArtFest is about celebrating art students and their work,” said Aro. “It’s about letting people read their images and understand what they’re thinking and feeling.”

Everyone in art is required to submit at least one piece, and preparations for the three day show started at the beginning of the school year. Although students had some leeway in September, they had to get serious about presenting pieces for the public to view after the first quarter, Ceramics teacher Thomas Szmercsanyi said.

Photo Conor Buckley '12 | Students collaborate to make a collage of eyes.

“It starts in the beginning of the year making art,” said Szmercsanyi. “Sometimes the hard part is finishing their work.”

In addition to having pieces for show, a lot of students have decided to sell their work.  Any student can sell a piece, as long as prices are set in increments of $5, Aro said. Students keep 80 percent of the profits and 20 percent goes to the department to purchase supplies and fund a scholarship program for seniors who plan on going to an art college, Szmercsanyi said.

Marcy Shoemaker, ’14 is one of the many students participating in ArtFest. She is enrolled in Ceramics I and found that preparing for ArtFest in ceramics presented more of a challenge than she experienced in other art forms.

“It was difficult in ceramics because you have to do everything in advance,” said Shoemaker. “It was just rushing to get all the stuff you needed done because doing ceramics doesn’t work on a timeline.”

Both Szmercsanyi and Aro agree that the program is essential for art students to get people to recognize their accomplishments and individuality. Not everyone is artistic, but people can relate to art and it speaks to all no matter how large or small the impact of it leaves.

“(Students) all have something in the show,” said Szmercsanyi. “It’s expected that an artist would show their things to be seen.”

Challenges art students often face is getting people to realize how important their work is and just how important they are to the community. Often times they are overshadowed by sports or choir, but this is the event where art students are celebrated for their achievements, Aro said.

Photo by Conor Buckley '12 | Alex Gosselin '12 has Darth Vader persuade students to come to ArtFest

“Art is a language,” said Aro, “and some people really speak it and understand it well; it is their natural language.”

ArtFest helps the teachers and students present what they create in their art classes to the community and their peers. It makes them just as important as others and lets them have a turn to get attention, Szmercsanyi said.

“We have future artists,” said Szmercsanyi. “The show is their opportunity to show all of their artwork to other students. It’s an opportunity for the community at large to see what is going on in this department.”

Having people show up to ArtFest is just as important as having enough products to showcase, Aro said. It gives students that are serious about pursuing a life in art a way to communicate their thoughts and feelings to people in a way that gives them a voice to outsiders who might not understand where they’re coming from.

“Every eye that looks at it (their art) means that voice is being heard,” said Aro, “and everybody wants to be heard.”

When it comes down to it, ArtFest is just like every other South activity. Like sports or choir, ArtFest is about getting recognition and helping boost the morale of art students, Aro said.

“ArtFest is just a display of what I’ve done over the year,” said Shoemaker. “You share your accomplishments; sometimes you just want compliments. Sometimes you just want people to tell you you’re good at something. (ArtFest) is the time to do it.”

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Tower Pulse Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *