By Jolie Freedman

The students of HSE are lucky to have the opportunities to take a variety of classes throughout their high school careers, especially art electives. On Friday, January 20, High School East hosted their Annual Art Day in order to showcase students’ artwork, as well as expose HSE students to the multitude of ways to get involved in the arts!

Eighth grade students who are currently enrolled in Studio in Art also had the opportunity to view the displays of artwork and learn about the courses available for them next year. Studio in Art members went to each different art class, led by board members of NAHS (National Art Honor Society). In each art class, two members discussed their art class to the students and showed them the different projects done in their specific class. Behind the gym, during periods 2-9, tables were set up for each art class, and their work was displayed around the area. Other students were able to see what goes on inside of the art classrooms by observing the students working on their projects.

Some of the popular art programs offered at HSE include Studio in Art, Creative Crafts, and Media Arts. For those students who have developed a passion for or want to learn more about specific type of art, HSE offers various sequence electives as well. These sequence electives usually have four levels, and students can take each level throughout their four years at HSE. Some of these programs include Fashion Design and Illustration, Architecture, Video, Photography, Drawing and Painting, Design and Drawing for Production, and Ceramics. There are also several AP art classes for those who are extremely devoted towards the arts, such as AP Photography, AP Art History, AP Drawing, AP 2D Design, and AP 3D Design.

There was constant creativity being showcased during Art Day, and the abundance of talent did not go unnoticed. Photography students busily worked on their unique photoshop collages, which were truly works of art. Ceramics students worked on pottery pieces by using a pottery wheel to create exceptional artwork out of clay. Architecture students worked on redesigns for Gaelic Castle renovations.

I was lucky enough to be a part of Art Day as I am currently a student in Fashion Design & Illustration II, and I would definitely recommend this class to anyone who has an interest in pursuing a career in the fashion field or who is interested in drawing and clothing. Fashion has allowed me to expand my horizons and enhance my drawing skills. Last year, in Fashion I, I learned how to sketch a croqui, which is an elongated drawing of the human body. I also created various different projects including a Halloween costume outfit and a fabric outfit; in addition, I learned to play with color and bold designs by painting different dresses. This year, one of my favorite parts of the class has been utilizing my skills to work on more advanced projects, such as designing and sketching a dress and then taking my simple idea and transforming it into a real dress.

In addition to displaying my own work, I also really enjoyed Art Day because I loved to see what was going on in all of the different art classes while getting to work on my project. I think art is a valuable class to include on any student’s schedule, whether you’re aspiring to become a professional artist or just want to utilize your skills as an outlet for expression and creativity. Throughout the average student’s daily strenuous schedule, art is a calm and stress-free course that can help anyone relax! Art Day truly showed the students this year all of the exciting and fascinating components of becoming involved in the arts, as well as successfully portrayed all of the student’s best work. I hope this event continues to be an inspiration towards the HSE student body!

Student Reflections on Art Day 2017

Chelsea Kleinbaum (Photography III and Fashion II)- “My favorite part about Art Day was getting to utilize the skills I learned from sewing and creating a dress in class in order to sew plaid patches onto a sweatshirt! I loved showing my artwork to the HSE students and hoped to have inspired more students to consider getting involved in the arts!”

Aidan Mallon (Architecture III)- “I find architecture useful in providing insight at the high school level to an industry that will always be valuable, but also in providing artistic expression that combines creativity with method and structure.”

Lexie Reiffman (Photography III and NAHS Board Member)- “I enjoy my involvement in Photography III and NAHS because they both help me to expose myself to new artistic experiences as well as expand my skills. My favorite part about Art Day was getting to lead an eighth grade class on a tour and show them their future opportunities.”

Ally Nomberg (Drawing & Painting III)- “Drawing and Painting ia a class that allows me to express myself in all of my artwork and push myself to work harder with each project. I think Art Day was a big success this year because many of the eighth grade and High School East students seemed inspired by the artwork displayed.”

Photo courtesy of Mrs. Uttendorfer