He carefully applies a final coat of paint to his project. Taking a step back, he admires his work, pleased that his dream from the past month has finally come to life. His sculpture is complete; it is ready for the art show.
Rebecca Harrison, one of two high school art teachers, recently allowed her students to showcase their art in class for their peers. This experience encouraged students to share something that spoke to them and made a difference in their lives.
“I find that [creating sculptures] reaches a certain group of students,” art teacher Rebecca Harrison said. “Maybe their strong point isn’t drawing or painting, but they love to build things, so it really gets students involved. We have days where we talk about what sculptures can be around the world. It really opens their eyes to what is available out there. Art isn’t just classical painting or drawings but is amazing artists making amazing art all over the world today.”
Different materials were used to express different points. This allowed for students to explore creativity in their own unique way.
“I made a jellyfish out of trash to advocate [against] the pollution in seas and to stop pollution,” junior Moriah Franke said. “A lot of people don’t understand that art with a purpose is so much more powerful than just making something because you feel like it.”
Every artist was required to complete an artist’s statement to give their piece direction. These statements involve questions that help add meaning to students’ sculptures.
“An artist’s statement is what your piece is about and what you are trying to tell people,” freshman Chloe Harbuck said. “I explained that my piece represents that God is everywhere, and He is the king of your heart even if you don’t think He is. I would display my piece in the library so people could see it and be influenced by God and what he does for us.”
Students are not normally given the chance to share their artwork with their peers. This opportunity allowed for students to understand each other better and become closer with classmates.
“We have so many great artists in the school,” freshman Matthew Abrameit said. “Seeing their work, which is very unique to them, I was able to see a lot of personalities in their artwork and what they like to do. Once you see their sculptures, you really see who they are and what they do and what they like because of lot of the sculptures pertained to that.”
After the display, students discussed sculptures and voted on their favorites. This gave them a chance to review their own piece and see how they could improve their work.
“Peer review is one of those things that is really important,” Harrison said. “A lot of times, it expands their horizon. They get the opportunity to critique and are able to then come back and take reflection on their piece after they have reviewed others.”
