Last Thursday, Manual’s Visual Arts (VA) magnet held its fifth and final Senior Art Show in the VA annex. The show, titled “Where the Sky Meets the Sea,” featured artworks by Adriana Bui, Adianez Ruiz Ramos, Felix Kim, Jena Royer, Angie Gomez, Asta Finley, Lili Mangan, Nate Kroll and Zackary Herald and runs until April 30.
This was the final senior art show of the year, wrapping up the series nicely by displaying students’ artistic skills. “Where the Sky Meets the Sea” stands as a culmination of four years of growth, experimentation and creative expression for the VA class of 2025. From mixed-media creatures to expansive fantasy landscapes, the exhibit highlights both the individuality and collaboration that shaped this final show.
The seniors were responsible for every aspect of setting up the show, from choosing which pieces to display to creating the theme. This gallery was the result of careful planning, teamwork and collaboration.
“Every theme that’s come up in the show is made by students only, the teacher, your sponsor, is only there to monitor and make sure you’re doing everything right,” Mangan said.
Setting the pieces of these students’ theme together required a significant amount of planning. With nine different styles, finding a unifying theme wasn’t easy.
“It all has to kind of fit together like one big puzzle piece,” Kroll said. “And when you’re really working together with other people, you have to bounce ideas off of each other, bounce artworks off of each other and really make sure it all locks together perfectly.”
The process for developing this group’s theme of “Where the Sky Meets the Sea” started last school year, long before most students were even thinking about graduation or capstone projects like this one.
“We planned about a year and a half in advance, constantly planning and discussing and talking about it,” Kroll said. “Yes, it was annoying at times, it was frustrating, but really planning and making sure you have a cohesive, understandable theme really pays off in the end.”
For many students, the theme offered artistic freedom and the ability to bring each artist’s vision into one cohesive experience.
“We ended up at ‘Where the Sky Meets the Sea,’ because there’s so many interesting things you can do with it— like, just color wise, the sunset and the water is very pretty, and all the creatures and stuff,” Finley said. “Adriana has a lot of creatures in the show and just in general that we thought would fit in with the general vibes, along with [that], Lili has a lot of like fantasy pieces, it just fit a lot of our art styles in general.”
But beyond style, the exhibit was also a moment of reflection— the last show for these seniors before graduation.
“This is the end of our senior year, the culmination of all four years of our artistic abilities and all that we have learned put into one show and one exhibition,” Kroll said.
The opening reception attracted parents, teachers, and students across all magnets, all wandering through the gallery and admiring the seniors’ artwork. Some, like Petra Limbong (12, HSU), attended out of curiosity and left impressed.
“I had nothing going on today, so I’m like, you know, there’s a VA thing that I saw a sign for, so then I walked in there, and I’m like, ‘bang,’ there’s so much art and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing,’” Limbong said. “I saw someone I knew, and then they showed me their art, and it was quite literally breathtaking, so this is a very good opportunity to do so.”
Other students in the audience saw it as a moment to take pride in how far their peers had come.
“I think it builds their confidence before college, they’re able to showcase all the skills they’ve been building over the four years,” Jillian Blackwell (11, J&C) said. “And also, you know, it gives us an opportunity to see what they’re working on, really cool art.”
The show’s opening reception also featured food from the Campus Life club. An array of snacks, appetizers and candy was set up just outside the gallery for viewers to enjoy.
“So a lot of people in our group, including me, are kind of competitive, so we were like, ‘Okay, guys, we’re gonna be extra,’” Finley said. “So we were very extra with it, and last show we want to go out with a bang— me and Lili are both in Campus Life club, and we were like, ‘Do you wanna bring food for the event, it’s gonna be on a Thursday,’ and they’re awesome, so they said yes.”
Many students felt that the night showcased their hard work and dedication to the magnet over the years.
“It feels kind of like a final walking out because you’ve done senior year, you’ve worked four years on doing pieces, and it’s like, ‘Okay, I finally get to show off to other people how my art has developed, and you get to hear their feedback,’” Mangan said. “And it’s kind of just refreshing to show people all of what you worked on, and have them appreciate it— everyone on the show is working really hard, both on the show and throughout the entire four years.”
Teachers from outside the magnet also attended, viewing their students’ work and admiring those of their peers.
“I have a lot of previous students that I liked that are in the show tonight,” Mr. Nicholas DeVore (Social Studies) said. “So when one of my students that I liked is gonna be in the art show, I try to come down so I can see it and write something in their book.”
The books are used for writing encouraging notes, messages and more to the students displayed.
“As a social studies teacher, I really have very little connection with any of the magnets, they’re kind of this distant thing on my mind,” DeVore said. “So it’s awesome to be able to come down and see them at their peak, when they’re at their best, and they get to show off their art.”
“Where the Sky Meets the Sea” functioned as the end of the Senior Art Shows, but also as the start of these young artists stepping into the next phase of their lives.
“A lot of people fall into this trap that just because these students are in high school, they’re kids — and they are kids — but they can never be seen on this equal level, which especially as a senior, is infuriating. Because most of them are 17 and 18, they want to be seen as someone entering the adult world,” DeVore said. “So I think this is a great way for them to be able to express themselves, to be like, ‘Hey, I’m not just some high school kid, you know, I actually have greatness and talent inside of me!’”
