Photographs taken during fall- and winter-term art classes are currently being exhibited in the PMAC.
Vibrant colors and textures fill the walls of the PMAC galleries, where student work from the fall and winter terms is currently on display. Faculty and students alike marveled at the pieces at last Friday’s exhibit opening. Featured works include ceramics, digital and film photography, drawing, mixed media, and painting.
The wide array of work made the exhibit particularly interesting. One of the pieces on display could be described as disturbing. On a canvas mounted in a window-type frame and painted in all hues of amaranth, a girl appears to be screeching. Like most in the exhibit, the work did not have an artist’s name attached, which only added to its complexity.
The variety and amount of pieces in the exhibit displayed the time Choate students have spent in a wide variety of art classes. Ms. Catherine Adams, an art teacher who has taught mixed media, ceramics, and drawing this year, emphasized the importance of artists’ curiosity in all art courses. It is this kind of support from faculty members that pushed students to experiment and create original pieces of art.
Mixed media was a particularly interesting subject of art on display. For instance, a bright assortment of magazine clippings and tissue paper carefully arranged to create an image of a girl holding balloons while looking out into the skyline captivated Caleb Maddox ’20. He commented, “I think it’s so cool because it experiments with different mediums, and all the colors that pop out make it very aesthetically pleasing.” Genuine appreciation of student work by Choate peers was seen throughout the exhibit’s opening night.
Piecing together an artist’s intentions is one of the most interesting parts of observing a piece. Isabel Sorrells ’19 had an entire wall at the back of the gallery dedicated to her drawings of ten torsos. All are unclothed, and the shading of graphite on the paper reveals bodies of various shapes and sizes. Sorrells stated, “I think it’s wonderful that programs to promote women’s body positivity are becoming more prevalent in society. Not a lot of people acknowledge male body image issues and it was important for me to encourage the same self love and positivity for everyone in this piece.” Her work attracted a sizeable crowd that pondered the gravity of the images.
This year’s student art exhibit does not fall short of any that have preceded it. The amount of hard work put into these pieces can be felt just by stepping into the gallery. All students should stop by the PMAC to recognize the dedication and time it took to produce such a wonderful show!
