Manual’s Visual Arts (VA) magnet’s third Senior Art Show debuted Jan. 30 in the VA annex, featuring nine students’ curated portfolios from their entire time in the magnet. The student organized “CLUE” exhibit highlights works by Mytreya Charles, Bridget Bond, Lucy Gregory, Ray Lavrin, Sarah Brandon, Sam Richardson, Sam Luber, Isabella Owen and Elias Elder. It runs through Feb. 10.
Students designed the gallery to reflect their artistic skill. Self portraits, acrylic and watercolor paintings, sustained investigations, prints — all of these and more adorned the walls of the gallery alongside sculptures and other three dimensional art.
“We produce a lot of art over the four years, so to just be able to display your favorite stuff is really cool,” Owen said.
For Owen, the show is more than just a display. It’s a celebration of the hard work and personal growth that define the VA experience.
“It’s all pretty much student-run and we put it all together ourselves, so it’s cool to have that experience of creating a gallery show,” Owen said.
The gallery itself highlights the rigor of the magnet and the students’ dedication to the arts.
“Not a lot of people really think of it as such, but VA is a very difficult and time consuming magnet,” Elder said.
The exhibit itself holds as a significant capstone to the senior artists, a final showcase before graduation makes its way to the minds of these young artists.
“All the hard work that’s accumulated over the years, this is what it’s led to. The gallery gives us a chance to finally see all of our art put together,” Elder said.
Viewers praised the show’s ability to show the progression of these students. Underclassmen, teachers, parents and other attendees marveled at the skill and creativity on display.
“It shows how much they’ve grown over the past few years,” said Elika Amin (10, MST).
Siena Huckvale (12, J&C), has attended many art shows in the past to cheer on her peers. Though the art show also acts as a reminder of how far VA students can go.
“It’s important for freshmen to see what they can accomplish in four years — and for seniors to revel in what they’ve created,” Huckvale added.
The show runs daily, during and after school hours until Feb. 10 in the Norma E. Brown gallery in the VA annex.
