On Apr. 11, AHS’ Visual Arts Department hosted the opening reception for its 2nd Annual Art Exhibition after Spring Preview at 6:30 p.m. This exhibition showcased the work that students from Arts Honors have produced throughout the year, and also featured select pieces from students in Art 1, Graphic Design, Animation, Screen Printing, Photography, Digital Photography, Ceramics, and several other visual art classes. The event lasted until Apr. 15, with open gallery hours on Friday and Monday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

At the exhibit, students from Art Honors were all given their own designated space along the walls to display their favorite pieces and provide their artist statements, while students from the other visual arts classes had their pieces shown with others in the same category. The art pieces shown ranged from drawings to digital art to photography, and there were also many in the form of clothing, stickers, and clay figurines.

To reward some of these talented artists, many prizes were given out on the opening day. First, second, and third place awards were assigned to pieces in each type of art, while two special awards—the Principal’s Award and Best in Show—were also assigned. Senior Jessie Fan, whose “Portrait of a Chinese Girl” won the Best in Show award, explained how that piece came to be. When she decided that she wanted to create a portrait study using charcoal, she “looked through a book of portrait photos and was immediately attracted to a photo of a woman whose raw and authentic look in her eye made it seem like she was hoping for something,” which was the main thing she based her drawing on. Jessie reveals that she started “drawing at a very young age and never really considered it much as a hobby, but as a way to put down [her] imagination on paper,” and continues drawing to this day since “knowing that there is no limit to what [she] can create truly makes [her] happy.”

Freshman Jada Hee was one of the recipients of a third-place award for her monochromatic painting of tennis player Serena Williams, who is “someone that [she] has always looked up to.” As someone who has never taken art classes in the past, Jada revealed that she was initially “scared to go out of her own comfort zone since [she] did not want to be let down if things didn’t turn out right,” but eventually “faced these fears head-on by experimenting with things that [she’s] never tried before.” Being in art has given Jada a “safe getaway”; whenever any stress from school is creeping up on her, she expresses that she can always “count on those 57 minutes spent in art class to release her creative outlet and simply relieve any pressure.”

The Art Exhibition was truly a magnificent event and gave so many students the chance to showcase the art that they have put a lot of time and work into. If you missed it this year, make sure you swing by next year to enjoy the artwork that our talented students have created!

Gallery • 23 Photos

Gavin Do

Photos by Gavin Do.