The work of Choate students involved in the Arts is on display in the Paul Mellon Arts Center gallery. The image by Joey Hong ’19 (above) represents misconceptions of mental health issues.
The students of Arts Concentration and special arts programs did not fail to entertain their eager peers and faculty members who came to the PMAC for an intimate gathering of the students’ gallery opening on Friday night after classes. The exhibit was fresh and full of thought-provoking artwork that was evidently a culmination of months of hard work put in by the students during the fall term.
The artwork was just as diverse as the group who created it. The pieces ranged from colorful splotches of paint on dark canvases to powerful collages relating to current events and recent developments. Each piece was so well-crafted a that one could stand for hours merely admiring the talent of the artists and considering the impact of each work. The colors, the figures, the objects, and the brushstrokes formed realistic, geometric, and abstract pieces. All of the artwork on display was eye-catching and worth the long walk to the other side of campus.
There were a few exceptional pieces that were especially hard to miss. Joanna Ding ’19 created an overwhelmingly powerful piece that few could pass by without taking a second look to analyze it. The piece, composed of three white canvases, depicted a gun on the first, a bullet on the second, and empty white space on the third. Both the gun and the bullet were filled with red and black magazine clippings of various words and phrases pertaining to recent gun violence in the country. Words like “White America”, “Bigots”, and “Tired” were bold and known. Though disturbing, the piece is very commanding in that it causes the viewer to reflect on what the image means to them, and it forces the viewer to consider what the third blank canvas symbolizes by its emptiness.
On the other spectrum of things were Sarah Gurevitch’s ’19 pieces. She created a mobile- like ladder made up of silver, blue and gold rungs. “I’m very interested in architecture and I just wanted to make something,” said Gurevitch. One of Gurevitch’s other pieces hung from a wooden block like a chandelier. Gurevitch explained the piece was borne by accident as the process was very experimental, and one decision led to another. Both pieces seemed fairly simple, but brought calmness and peace upon the viewer by their constructions and coloring.
In contrast, the work of Lucy Carpenter ’20 was bold. Carpenter used a palette of mostly primary colors that draws one’s eye to her work, which includes a notebook that hangs from the ceiling and can be opened to reveal pages of colorful strokes and patterns. The component was something different, and by interacting with the piece, many attendees felt closer to the artwork.
The art exhibit is nothing short of amazing. The students who put it all together deserve every bit of recognition that the student body of Choate has to offer!
