This year, the annual district art show will expand its scope to include artwork from all students in grades K–12, marking a departure from the previous tradition of accepting submissions exclusively from high school students.
“The art show is a really great way to connect people of all ages through art and through creativity. And since this art show is actually from K to 12 we really do get to connect tons of students,” National Art Honors Society district art show coordinator Sally Wang said.
Not only is the art show moving to the larger Clements Leadership building, but the event will now serve food and guests will get to enjoy a live orchestra.
“We have the National Art Honor Society people helping us set up. We’ll have hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and then we have a quartet orchestra playing, which will be super fun,” art teacher Rachel Talkington said. “And then we’ll just have thank-yous and speeches.”
Planning for the art show starts almost a year in advance of its opening. Every year the teachers discuss what went well, and what they want to change for the following year.
“At the end of last year, I sat down with some art teachers. I was like ‘what kinds of things worked well?’” Talkington said. “The past few years, it’s been up in MAPS, which has been good, but it’s kind of a limited space. So I was like, ‘what if we had more space?’ We just started dreaming a little bit bigger, and I had a whole document of ideas.”
The art for the show gets picked about a month in advance. Students can either submit their work to their teachers, or the teachers can choose them for the art show.
“I think the art show is fun to show your artwork to other people and appreciate other people’s art too. Ms. Talkington chose my colored pencil drawing, which I’m really proud of, for the art show,” senior Madeline Clark said.
The art show will have a variety of different works, and students chosen for the show can display any of the projects they made this year.
“I really wish to promote the visual arts community and how our creativity can really make an impact, just to show our students’ voices through their art,” Wang said. “I mean we have sculptures, paintings, and all sorts of art made by students.”
Though the work at the art show will not be for sale, the art program also participates in other art shows that allow for students to sell their art.
“It’s just showing. We don’t sell from this show. We have other competitions or exhibitions that we do at the high school level where students can sell their work,” Talkington said.
Despite the pieces not being for sale, teachers and faculty do have the opportunity to pick art from the show to hang up for the following school year to display the work of students.
“We have people in the district shop the show, and they choose pieces that they would like to hang for the following school year,” Talkington said. “I love that because it helps get what we’re doing in our schools out more into the public so people can see all the talent we have.”
The art show will take place from 4-6pm on April 24th, and will be open to the public.
“I think Highland Park is obviously a very academic and athletic-oriented school,” Wang said. “However, I think there are so many students that are gifted in art, and I really hope to kind of promote the art department to show the district that students do possess talent.”
