FHC’s art show is loud and proud
More stories from Saniya Mishra
FHC’s art show was lively and full of incredible student art pieces.
In senior Jenan Hammad’s mixed media art, there’s a scene depicting her and her friends, some crafted traditionally and some printed from digital drawings, signifying their now-online relationship.
It’s based off of one of her favorite photos and holds a spot in her AP Studio Art portfolio, which is a collection of art pieces the students create throughout the school year to submit to College Board. Because of the interesting dynamic that the mixed-media facet of her art creates, she decided to include her works for the portfolio in FHC’s second annual art show this year.
“[I put this piece in the show] because I’m really proud of it,” Jenan said, “and I feel like it showcases my skills a lot, and they’re huge. They’re a big eye candy to look at.”
Jenan’s portfolio is focused on illustrating her core memories, many of which also highlight her friends.
She also made art for each of the school dances last year, and together, they all paint a story.
“I want to see [people] trying to interpret it,” Jenan said, “[and wonder] what the story is: ‘Is that her friend? Is that someone she used to know?’”
As a senior, not only did Jenan want to showcase her art, but she also wanted to have the chance to leave her own legacy behind at the school, which the art show was the perfect opportunity for.
Thanks to art teachers Grace Stynes and Tyler Fewell, after the COVID-19 pandemic prevented community activities for a few years, FHC was finally able to host the show.
“One day, I walked up to Mr. Fewell and said, ‘We should have an art show. I think that it would be cool to have our art out for everyone to see,’” Stynes said. “‘We have magic happening in the art department, and it stays down here. Let’s bring it out to the front.’”
And that’s exactly what they did. After writing a grant and getting some gallery walls, the art show was ready to go.
It gave spotlight to a generally underrepresented department of visual arts. Senior Lauren Wolffis went to the art show to support her fellow classmates and was wowed by the displays.
[Seeing the art] kind of opened my eyes and made me realize that we have a lot of talent at our school.
— Lauren Wolffis
“I thought it was really cool to see all the different styles of art and all of the different creations that people have made,” Lauren said, “and it was really cool to see some of the art from people that I wouldn’t have known were artists otherwise. [Seeing the art] opened my eyes and made me realize that we have a lot of talent at our school.”
Drawings, paintings, photographs, and sculptures could all be found at the show, but that wasn’t the only type of art present. The FHC Jazz Band also played during the exhibit, adding an extra creative element to the night.
For what would generally be considered a calmer event, the atmosphere of the art show was surprisingly lively and, as Lauren put it, “loud, bright, upbeat, exciting.”
While the art show took place in the front lobby of FHC from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on March 2., the art remained on display the entire week, allowing for even more people to see the talent of FHC’s artists.
“I love [the night of the art show] where everyone comes and celebrates,” Stynes said, “but one of my favorite things is walking through on a normal school day when the art show is up and looking at students interacting with the art show in between classes, and they’re wandering around, [and] they’re like, ‘Oh, this one’s cool. That one’s cool.’”
The art show gives a chance for not only others to see the imaginative and spectacular creations from the art department, but also a chance for the artists themselves to present their work and receive recognition.
While the exhibited art came from students in all art classes, the exhibition was also open to those who weren’t enrolled in an art class. However, because of the snow days, additional art wasn’t brought in.
For next year, Stynes is hoping even more art will be submitted, maybe from staff members, too.
“I think that we put a lot of emphasis on what happens at school,” Stynes said, “but I know that there are people out there who are at home sketching, drawing, painting, sculpting, and just because it doesn’t have an entire class doesn’t mean that it’s not valuable. And so, I would love to also give a space for those students to represent their work. There’s still more out there. We need to pull it.”
Saniya Mishra is a senior, writing for her third and final year on staff, busied by her many passions. She is an artist who cares deeply about the world....
