The opening of “Night Tide,” the first Visual Arts magnet senior show of the school year, took place on Nov. 16 in the Norma E. Brown Gallery. The gallery showcased the work of seniors Emily Wang, Gwynn LeBeau, Cory Bleuel, Maris Oberhausen, Mahalia Smith, Jamie Scott, Audrey Takada, Bella Lawson and Urban Wyatt.
“It’s a strange feeling seeing people look at my art, but I like it,” Audrey Takada (12, VA) said. “The point of art is for people to look at it.”
Takada said that she views art as a very likely career option, and she plans to study art in college.
The seniors had limited time in class to plan the entire gallery, a process which included building the title set, selecting the pieces for exhibition and then physically displaying all of the artwork.
“They started a couple of weeks ago, when they chose the theme, and they had four school days to prepare the gallery,” Mr. Doug DeWeese (Visual Arts) said.
According to DeWeese, all senior art shows are conceptualized and executed nearly entirely by the students whose work is being showcased.
“As far as the theme of Night Tide and how they want to display their art is totally up to them,” he said. “Of course, they discuss it with me, but ultimately, it’s their decision.”
The gallery opening was held after school until 6 p.m. Breya Jones (12, J&C) had a chance to stop by the exhibit.
“It’s really nice to see the hard work your friends have done displayed,” Jones said. “I’m friends with a lot of people in VA, and I know how hard they work to get all their pieces up and how stressful it is.”
The next senior art show will open in mid-December.
