WOODBURY — Nonnewaug’s National Art Honor Society is presenting its annual art exhibition in the gym, a June 4-6 presentation to show the many beautiful and interesting art pieces this year. Every year’s art show has its own creative concept.
“We created the current theme based on the main idea we were pursuing, something that brought us all together,” says Audrey Rogers. “We’re not super similar people, so we tried to think about what we’re all connected through. We’re all connected through art, so we came up with the common thread.”
This year’s concept is a common thread. but another common thread is the detail and time the seniors of art take to make the perfect concept for every art show, which encompasses all disciplines of art at Nonnewaug.
“It’s from grades 9-12,” says Leeza Desjardins, Nonnewaug art instructor. ”Art I through Art IV, [ranging from] AP Art, 2D Design, Drawing, and 3D. 2D could be photography or digital design. 3D art can be statues and fashion. [It includes] digital [art and] yearbook. Our video teacher [Katie Blake] will [also] be involved in putting out short narratives and movie clips. [It also includes] Video Game Design, Ceramics I and II, also the whole year put together, also showcase the National Art Honor Society showcase of orphans.”
NHS art students, freshmen through seniors, are looking forward to seeing their art share the spotlight at the show.
“I thought the idea of the annual art show was intriguing,” says Nonnewaug freshman Sophia Gustafson. “I’m excited to see some of my art there, especially with the concept being so unique.”
Creation of a Concept
While everyone’s excited for the concept — a common thread —not everyone knows the work and preparation that goes into making the concept.
“The concept of the art show is created by the senior AP students, and what they do is try to find what makes them them, what makes their senior art class theirs,” says Desjardins. “Every year I’ve done this since 2005, since we were asked to do this in the gymnasium and asked to keep it up for a couple of days.”
The seniors from art classes are the ones tasked with coming up with the concept for the year’s art show.
“The way the concept is chosen is all of the seniors in art coming together and brainstorming any ideas they have,” says Kiera Jacobi, National Art Honor Society vice president. “It’s a very long process because a lot of it is based on how we feel about our class. A lot of the past concepts were based on the senior art class and who they were and the relationship they had with each other, so we really had to think deeply about what we wanted our class to represent.”
A lot goes into the creation of the concept. While the concept may be a decoration for the show, it’s still a big part of it. The attention to detail and creativity behind each concept sets the mood and tone for the entire event.
Previous Years
The previous years of the art exhibition have been remarkable. The value of the art show in Nonnewaug is obvious if you look at the hard work put into it.
“Some previous years concepts were Where We Shine, which was last year’s,” says Jacobi. “Some other ones from past years were Monet’s Garden, Where We Grow, and Where It All Started.”
This year, the art exhibition promises to be even more exceptional with a new concept that will captivate and inspire.
“I know a little about the previous years art shows; from what I’ve heard about past years, I’m looking forward to this year’s,” says Gustafson. “I have heard about the previous years’ art shows from people in my art class about how the previous years were awesome and how I’ll have art in it, and many students are looking forward to it, and now I’m looking forward to it even more.”
The art exhibit serves as a platform for students to express themselves and push the boundaries of their artistic abilities together. It provides an opportunity for the community to bond
“The best day is definitely opening day when we present awards and announce the new officers for the National Art Honor Society for the upcoming year. There’s a lot of food and drinks, and we sell our shirts,” says Jacobi. “It’s really fun to just be there and celebrate the art we’ve spent so long making and also to talk about what we’re passionate about. I remember last year, on a night when there weren’t that many people, we all played games together and joked around. It’s really enjoyable to just be with like-minded people and share the things we’ve created.”
