Graffiti and urban decay. Women’s body positivity and confidence. The reinterpretation of street signs. The juxtaposition of childhood and adolescence. The interaction between humanity and nature.
These were among the many themes that AP art students at Byram Hills High School explored as part of their inquiry-based sustained investigation that guided their art-making this year. Their imaginative work was on display at the annual AP Art Show on April 19 and 20. Students, families and faculty enjoyed an evening reception in the gallery-like space on April 19.
Among the questions that students examined in their art investigation: How can reality be changed into fantasy? How does focusing on movement tell a story? How to depict Portuguese culture through personal experience? How can the symbol of boots show an evolution of liberation in one’s environment?
The show featured the work of talented students in AP Studio Art, AP Photography, AP Graphic Design and AP 3D Design. On display was a rich mix of striking photographs, prints, colorful paintings, sculptures, ceramics, mixed-media pieces and graphic designs.
“This show represents the gamut of ideas and approaches and a lot of diverse visual thinking and attention to craft,” art teacher Amy Menasche said. “These are the most committed artists in the District.”
“Some work is remarkable in its delicacy, other work is serene or bold or edgy,” she added. “We can see the students' personalities and voices through the lens of their work.”
The show was installed by students, who each had a large panel or area to display a collection of their work.
Senior Sarah Thielmann, an AP 3D Design student, created a trio of ceramic, bikini-clad torsos for her investigation into body positivity. One shows stretch marks, another has body hair and the third features the skin condition vitiligo.
“I wanted to make a point that regardless of how you look, everyone’s allowed to feel proud of their bodies even if they have things that are deemed unattractive by society,” she said. “I felt like with each person who saw my pieces, I was making a difference and just hopefully helping some people to either feel better about themselves or think about how those things may affect other people and be
mindful of what some other people may be insecure about.”
Junior Finnley Silverstein, who has been dancing most of her life, focused her AP Photo portfolio on portraying emotion through dance.
“Dance is a big part of my life so this represents the different aspects of it,” she said, adding that her photographs show the joy, happiness and stress of dance.
Byram Hills students and faculty visited the show during the school day and art teachers brought their students for inspiration.
Sophomore Jaden Pinsky, who takes photography, was impressed by the art.
“It’s incredibly detailed and you can tell how much work that everyone put in in their own way, all the different compositions, colors and styles,” she said. “It’s inspiring to see everyone’s different approach to art.”
Freshman Henri Nilsson, who attended with his Studio Art class, said he liked the perspective in the photographs, the creativity of the graphic design pieces and how the drawings were focused on a theme. “I really like it,” he said. “It’s very creative.”
Art teacher Jayne Karlin said students build a lifelong appreciation of art through the AP courses.
“They’re amazingly talented and motivated and we’re really proud of what they’ve produced,” she said. “I see students really expressing themselves in ways they wouldn’t be able to if they weren’t part of our art program.”
