January 20, 1999
Art show offers many experiences
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
What do a bust of Homer Simpson and a dress made of Ramen Noodle package wrappers have in common?
Both were among the more than one hundred entries in Traverse City Central High School's Art Show, on display last week in the school's library. Continuing the art department's long-standing tradition, each semester students from all the school's art classes choose their best work for display. They also frame and mount the works themselves and set up the show.
"It's kind of neat to see my stuff on the wall after being in art only five months," said Megan Bolles, 12th grade, who displayed works combining photography and drawing from her photography class. "Making the pieces was a big challenge, I spent a lot of time."
Studying the fine arts is a new direction for Bolles, who has studied and performed ballet and jazz dancing for years. In fact, she plans to major in dance at Western Michigan University. But the photography classes she is taking this year have sparked her interest in the field and she may pursue her newfound avocation in college.
"Photography is fun," Bolles said. "We developed the film, made contact sheets and then did the prints; I also mounted the pictures myself."
The art show also featured paintings, ceramic sculptures, jewelry, drawings and computer-generated art. The show reflected the broad range of art classes offered at Central High School, which range from ceramics, drawing and sculpture to metals, jewelry and traditional American arts.
"We have a nice, solid program here," said Mary Sawyer, an art teacher at Central High School and East Junior High School. "The kids can really specialize and we have a brand new art facility this year."
For the advanced students, the College Prep class offers an opportunity to bring together all that they have studied in high school. They can use any medium they want in this class, emphasizing their strengths or shoring up a weak area. Janee Meadows, 12th grade, chose to use Tempura paints for her symbolic painting project, which she entered in the art show.
"I started with thumbnail sketches before I began painting," said Meadows, who plans to study art at Northwestern Michigan College before transferring to an art school. "I want to be a graphic designer."
The art show kicked off with a reception last Tuesday evening, drawing an eager crowd of students, teachers, parents and friends. For the next two days of the show, many teachers used the art show as a component in a multidisciplinary unit. They sent their students to view the works, evaluate design and style and write papers about their findings.
Thursday afternoon, some Humanities I students were browsing through the show to find material for a writing assignment. Earlier in the year they studied the design elements of art and now were putting their knowledge to a practical test.
"We have to pick a piece we like the most, explain what we saw and what it means to us," said Kristin Walker, 11th grade. "They are all beautiful, I didn't know we had this kind of talent here at the school."