A litter of piglets levitates high above a town center. Less than five feet away, a small dog lounges on a bed, its nose buried in a book. On the other side of the room, a dazzling night sky is projected from the wide-eyed gaze of a young woman.
No, this is not the long lost deleted scene from some fanciful movie like Alice in Wonderland; rather, it is just a small sample of the creative capabilities of nine Walpole High School seniors. For the past few weeks, these students have labored over their artwork in order to display a finished collection in the annual Advanced Placement Student Art Show.
On Monday, January 27, the second floor science lobby was abuzz with activity as friends, relatives, and art enthusiasts alike gathered to gaze at the students’ finished pieces. Soft music and refreshments—including neon cupcakes, rainbow punch, and tie-dye cakes as colorful as the art on display— established a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere for visitors. As they bit into baked goods, spectators milled about the lobby and discussed their favorite works with the artists themselves.
The artists—seniors Nikki D’Andrea, Montana Gulbrand, Estee Lewis, Hannah Miller, Maggie Moriarty, Jess Owens, Kate Preston, Jacqui Stratton, and Ashley Waldron—were instructed to choose a concentration, or underlying theme, that would tie together each individual piece of the collection. After making their decision, the students worked tirelessly in their respective AP Drawing and Painting and AP Studio Art 2D and 3D Design classes in order to finish their masterpieces on time for the hour-long showing.
The artwork on display showcased a full range of techniques and styles, for the students experimented with paint, charcoal, colored pencils, and even household items like saucepans and matches. As a 3D Design student, Moriarty chose to create sculptures and stage photographs of random objects placed strategically to convey her whimsical theme of “Things as They Shouldn’t Be.” Of her concept, Moriarty said, “The idea of comedy is important in my concentration. I wanted to create this sense of seeing something for the first time, leaving the viewer to form their own opinion immediately.”
Among her many intriguing pieces was Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” painted on a childhood doll and a humorous photo of her dog reading literature. “We are so used to conforming to what we know is ‘right’ that it’s shocking to see things we see everyday look so out of place,” Moriarty said. “Essentially, my concentration is meant to assure you that it’s perfectly fine to be different from what the idea of ‘normal’ is.”
Another notable display was that of Ashley Waldron, who also decided to incorporate comedy into her collection. Deciding on a theme that she titled “Taking Things Literally,” Waldron focused on making everyday idioms into visual representations of their literal meanings. Tackling popular phrases such as “Hitting the Books, “When Pigs Fly,” and “The Grass is Always Greener,” Ashley amused onlookers with her witty scenes. Crowd favorites included Waldron’s color pencil portrayal of “The Elephant in the Room” as well as the painted self-portrait entitled “Waking Up on the Wrong Side of The Bed.” Using several shading techniques and varying brush strokes, Waldron wowed spectators with incredibly realistic and detailed pieces.
While explaining the idea of her exhibit, Waldron said, “One aspect I threw into my concentration is the surrealistic device.In each piece I put something somewhere that would never happen in real life.”
Gulbrand—who takes Mr. Richard Kim’s AP 3D Design class— expressed her excitement about the show when she said, “The AP Art Show was a success because it was very enjoyable to watch my friends improve as artists and see how much the student body supports the hard work everyone does.” Gulbrand, whose sculptures caught the eye of many a passerby, embraced her theme of abandonment and created various pieces to convey her concentration. In one piece, Gulbrand revealed the consequences of leaving a saucepan on the stove for too long while simultaneously creating colorful collages of the melted candy left in the pans. Her elaborate sculptures made of matches also captured the attentions and imaginations of all who stopped to look at them.
After Graduation, Gulbrand plans to pursue art as a career. She aspires to become either an art director in major motion pictures or a full- time practicing contemporary artist.
The AP Student Art show was certainly a success, for the spectators were given the rare opportunity to congratulate Walpole’s young artists on their imaginative projects and appreciate the hours of effort spent to produce such impressive pieces. After the viewing, junior Marc Sheehan said, “This year was my first time going to the AP Art Show, and I really regret not going in years before. I would urge everyone to go because no one really gets to appreciate this kind of art like the others displayed at WHS.”
Acknowledging the size of the intimate gathering, Sheehan said, “This isn’t the Winter Musical or the Film Festival, which both draw huge crowds. The AP Art kids have as much talent as those in drama or film and it’s unfortunate that more people don’t come to these shows because you sometimes just can’t believe the work was done by a fellow classmate. It’s all quite professional… and there’s food!”
AP Studio Art Drawing teacher Ms.Willa-Ann McKee expressed similar sentiments about the students’ efforts when she said, “The opening reception for the AP Studio Art Exhibit was a proud moment for everyone involved—artists, teachers, families, and friends—and was well attended. So much goes into meeting the demands of the AP Art course that many people don’t realize. It’s so much work and really exhausting.” Regarding the rigorous demands presented to the AP Art students, McKee said, “The creative process is so unpredictable and full of ups and downs, and the pace of production needs to be really fast for AP. But it is such a rewarding process as well that is fueled by passion, talent, and dedication. The artists have been working for months on their pieces and received the recognition they deserved.”
Regardless of whether this recognition and praise came in person at the showing or written in the students’ guest notebooks as congratulatory comments, the AP artists appreciated the positive feed- back and impressive turnout. Waldron said, “I believe the AP Art Show is a great venue for us to show off our work. Most people don’t realize the amount of hours and energy that we put into each piece and it feels great to have someone look at it and appreciate it.” Yet while compliments and commendation are always accepted, artists like Waldron find the greatest joy in creating and discussing their art with others. As for the opportunity to share her love of art with the community, Waldron said, “As long as people take the time to stop for a few minutes and look around, I’m happy.”
