The end of the year serves as a culmination of all the hard work students have put into their classes and a time to showcase their achievements throughout the school.  This year, rather than displaying the achievements of the senior art classes only, the art department hosted a school wide art show, displaying artwork from every art and photo class in the school.

“We talked about if for a while because we’d never had a show dedicated to the entirety of the Schreiber art department and for a while we were just trying to find a suitable venue to display the work,” said art teacher Ms. Miranda Best.  “I thought it was great we were able to get so much work up.  It really illustrated the depth and the scope of program and all the class options our school has.”

Students displayed works highlighting numerous techniques and concentrations.  Some of the focuses included perspective, shading, and for the AP Studio Art students, a few pieces with a central theme of their choice.

“There was a wider variety of art and it really helped add volume to the show.  Plus, there was less pressure to contribute a lot of finished pieces,” said senior Maggie Golder.

Previously, art was only hung in the atrium. For this show, work was displayed in the atrium, the lobby, and the music hallways in order to have enough space to hang artwork from every single grade.

“Everyone was represented, the freshmen to the seniors, and everyone had at least one piece up.  Some students even got to display several works but unfortunately a lot of it had to come down right away,” said Ms. Best.  “The students and even more the staff were complaining that some of the work didn’t get to stay up, so not as many people got to see it.”

Art teachers are discussing plans for recreating the event in future years.

“I liked that it incorporated all the grades because it was always too small with just the seniors,” said senior Carrie Rybecky.  “It brought more people to see all the art.”

However, as this is the first time a school wide art show was set up, some still see problems that need to be addressed for future shows.

“Another thing we’re concerned about is giving up senior show to make room for this show.  It was a disappointment to me and many seniors as well,” said Ms. Best.  “Usually many students already know what college they’re going to around this time of year, and they’re finishing up their portfolios, so this provides a nice sense of closure, and I was sad to see that go.”

Although some felt a school wide art show was less stressful, some seniors were frustrated that they did not get to have a special show featuring only their work, as students had in previous years.

“Everyone had a chance to display their work, but it was very crowded,” said senior Naomi Furst.  “Plus, seniors didn’t get to show all their work from the two years.  Both the school wide show and a senior show would have been better.”

At the same time, however, there are very few opportunities for students in other grades to display their work in the art and photography classes.

“A full school art show is a lot better because everyone can be part of it and show off their work,” said junior Haley Sambursky.  “I feel like the underclassmen art is really undervalued at times and this sort of says that you too have talent and your work is also important to the school.”

The art teachers in charge of planning the event suggested that art shows in future years might include a special area dedicated to the senior’s work, spotlighting their achievements and recognizing their progress over the years.

“I received a lot of positive feedback: the staff was overwhelmed with the quality and the depth of the work and excited to see it all together in one place at one time,” said Ms. Best.  “Parents of underclassmen get a sense of what the future holds for their children and parents of upperclassmen can see how far they have grown.”

Art teachers also hope to see a greater turnout in the future and perhaps involvement by a greater percentage of the school.

“We want this to be more of a celebration than just a viewing of art work,” said Ms. Best.