BERKELEY – The annual art show was more than just a showcase of talent – it was also a teaching moment.
Art is often created in a studio and then revealed to the viewer later. Here, the artists got to see the reactions from their fellow students and from adults who came to visit. They saw firsthand what kind of impact they could make and what effect their art had on others.
The media center was turned into an art studio during class, and parents were invited to an evening session as well. Paintings and photographs were hung on walls. Wood shop carvings and furniture were on display, as were pottery and sculptures. Students were tasked with making board games and packaging for products that don’t exist. Students walked through the studio, taking in works of art in any medium you could imagine, from oil, ceramics, digital art, pencil, charcoal, fibers – or some combination of two or more.
Technology is also part of the process. Computer aided drafting (CAD) is a program at the school and those students had their designs on display. A 3-D printer slowly made a tiny version of a home layout.
A green screen was set up outside the library where a film crew was asking kids to record messages to outgoing seniors for a compilation video.
A panel of artists judged each category, said Terri Wyman, photography teacher. Ribbons tagged the winners.
The art show is always on Bring Your Child To Work Day so that youth can see these projects and be inspired, she said.
There was an artists alley where students were showing off their art, photos, cards, and more for sale. Quite a few were doing custom orders. Many kids were leaving with bracelets or henna tattoos. They sat for artists to draw their likeness.
Evan Groiss was “painting” with bleach on black t-shirts. Using simple brush strokes, he illustrated animals and other images on the shirts.
“This is my first time doing an art show,” he said. “I’ve been doing art for fun for years.”
He pointed to a stack of empty shirt hangers to show how many shirts he moved. The art show was a lesson in how to gauge what your audience likes and how to interact with potential customers.
“This shows that there is a career in the arts,” he said. “I’ve made over $300 already.”
