The Department of Fine and Performing Arts Presents: The Spring Art Show
March 5, 2024
Carle Place High School presented its annual Spring Art Show on Tuesday, May 16 in the Barry Dennis Conference Room. The Spring Art Show featured creative works from students currently enrolled in high school art programs. The art that was displayed was created primarily in the second half of the year with the purpose of illustrating the student’s creativity, hard work, and dedication.
Fine and Performing Arts Chairperson, Mr. Limone, as well as art teachers, Mr. Krause, Mr. Giacalone, and Mrs. Nijboer planned and assembled the art show; transforming the Denis Barry Conference Room into an art gallery complete with multiple exhibits. Families, as well as community members, were invited to view the exhibits.
The works that were displayed in the art show were diverse, with the pieces of art being coalesced from every art class. As art teacher Mrs. Nijboer puts it, “We had everything from paintings to drawings, ceramics, and cut paper. There was a wide variety of mediums and materials.” The expansive collection compiled from the different classes enabled the attendees to view a wide variety of art. Seeing pieces from other art classes has an added benefit as it allows students to see the projects that other art classes have in their curriculum. This helps them to decide what art classes to sign up for in the upcoming year.
For Mrs. Nijboer and Mr. Krause, the Art Show is a great way to reflect on the past school year as it’s the culmination of their student’s hard work and dedication coming together in one big event. As for Mrs. Nijboer, the art show is a way to reflect on her passion for teaching art. According to Mrs. Nijboer, the creative process that occurs during the class is the most rewarding part of being an art teacher, “Seeing my students thinking they aren’t able to do something and thinking that they’re not an artist and the reaction they get when they make something and they think it’s amazing- I’m so proud of that.” She describes watching the students progress throughout the year as “Exciting. I love watching the lightbulb go off in the student’s head when they find an idea and create it into a project and watch their confidence of being an artist grow.” When asked about how she felt seeing her student’s art on display, she simply answered “Proud.”
The Art Show is also a way for the school to generate interest in newer classes by displaying their work for community members and students to observe. One such example is the class called Studio in Crafts which is currently taught by Mrs. Nijboer. She describes Studio in Crafts as “It’s a class that hasn’t run in about ten years and we brought it back to life and it’s called “Studio in Crafts”. It’s a great class for students that might not feel confident as a drawing artists- it’s craftier. During the year we did felting and basket weaving; we made stuffed sock puppets which were stuffed animals that were socks, and dreamcatchers. It’s a lot of fun.” Events like the art show can be a great way to showcase the works of such classes to the student body. Mrs. Nijboer hopes that between the Winter and Spring Art Shows, classes such as Studio in Crafts are able to attract new students.
The students enrolled in art classes also ruminated on their various journeys in the past year leading up to the Art Show. Students enrolled in art classes often view it as a period in their day when they are able to unwind and tap into their creative potential. As sophomore Brian Ruiz puts it, “My favorite part about art class is because it’s relaxing. I’m able to listen to music and not worry about anything else.” Junior Jazmine Martinez shares a similar sentiment, “I like painting projects because it’s very therapeutic and I put effort into those.” However, other students enjoy art classes because it’s a place where they can express themselves. As Junior Sehaj Singh puts it, “Just making stuff in general and the aspect of creating things just looks good and satisfying and it makes me feel good.” Junior Makayla Marrero likes art class for a similar reason stating, “Making ideas and creating my vision and planting it all out on a piece of paper” For students like Junior Mayra Reyes, art class is also a way for students to connect with others with similar interest, “For my class, I think it’s the conversation we have, everyone gets their work done but we keep each other company.” Junior Jeremy Carrera adds to this by saying, “My favorite part of being part of art class is being able to draw with my friends and having a good time overall.”
Although some students didn’t originally plan on having an art class in their schedule this school year, they decided to stick with the elective they were given and walked away with an invaluable experience and a new skill set. According to Jazmin, “I needed to take art for graduation credits, and it was better than I thought. I originally thought it was going to be quiet and boring. I enjoyed the class.” Jeremy has a similar experience with being put into an art class this year and walking away with a positive experience, “I didn’t want to take an art class but they made me take art class because nothing else fits in my schedule. I didn’t like it at first but it’s grown on me, I felt like I built deep connections with the people around me this year as a result.”
To the students, the Art Show was the culmination of all the hard work and dedication that they put into their pieces throughout the year. Makayla, when asked about her reaction to seeing her art in the Art Show said, “It was a good thing and it made me happy because I get to show off my hard work and I get to show the art I made”. Brian also had a very positive experience in the Art Show as his painting of a strawberry won a prize during the event. In fact, the strawberry painting was his favorite piece all year, “My favorite piece is probably the strawberry because it’s nice and I didn’t screw it up. I can draw but I can’t paint.” Brian describes the process of creating the strawberry as
“I sketched it off a picture and saw where the highlights were going to be and I just mixed colors. It took me like a week of class time to draw”. He describes seeing his strawberry on display as “It felt good to see it and proud of how good it came out.”
Jeremy’s favorite piece was also from the close-up fruit painting unit, “My favorite piece is the cucumber close-up painting because I tried my hardest and it came out great. It was a good project, it wasn’t hard and I enjoyed the process of painting.” He shares that seeing his work on display in the Art Show was an incredibly proud moment for him, “I felt proud of myself because I was able to show off my accomplishment.”
On the other hand, Sehaj’s favorite pieces were from the stencil and pottery unit, “My favorite art piece would have to be either the stencil (From Back to the Future) because it came out good and I got to spray it on Mr. Krause’s room and the knuckle sandwich I made during pottery because I put a lot of effort into it and it came third in the art show” He describes seeing his work on display as it made me feel like I accomplished something worthwhile and put my work for everyone to see. Adding that in art class “I learned ways to become a more creative person and new ways to express my ideas.”
Mayra also expressed her happiness in seeing her art on display during the Art Show saying, “It felt nice that people were looking at my art, and for the Bob Ross painting, I won an award for it. I was completely shocked when I won the award. I was blown away because I didn’t think it was going to win.” Art wasn’t Mayra’s favorite class at the beginning of the year. She wasn’t expecting to take art at all this year. However, “Drawing and Painting” was one of the only elective classes that fit into her schedule. She expresses this though by saying, “I hated art. I wasn’t good at art, I got this class I wanted to switch out but I couldn’t, but as a result my art appreciation grew and now it’s my favorite class.” Citing the mindset she has for creating her art, “You have to have a plan in what you create, it’s ok to have a mistake on the way, that’s ok. I don’t always know what the end looks like I just go along with it, I think it’s better in art to not have the final visual of your art and just go along with it.”
As for how the Spring Art Show differed from the Winter Art Show, Fine and Performing Arts Chairperson, Mr. Limone said, “Well, one of the major differences was it was the same night as the high school music concert. We were hoping that, somehow, we could get some live music at the Art Show but it ended up being harder because of the concert. There were nice crowds at the Art Show because there were people in the building with the concert.” Adding, “Awards were different/ this time we encouraged faculty members to come in and act as adjudicators for the awards. Another difference this time was we were able to set it up earlier the day before and bring a lot more classes through the exhibit, and more people were able to see it.” Mr. Limone also emphasized the learning element that the Art Show provides for the students on top of just being a place to showcase their art, “My favorite part is that putting it together requires the student to select their two favorite pieces and reflect on why they liked those pieces. So it becomes not just about showcasing student talent. The best part is the educational element of student reflection.”
He also stated how the Art Show is also a way for his department to see what potential projects to pursue in the upcoming year, “ When all the art is on display, me and the art teachers can walk through and see what was produced. It gives us the chance to see what we are producing and gives us a chance to reflect on the year. We were able to identify what type of art we needed more of in the upcoming year.” Regarding the logistics of creating the Art Show, Mr. Limone states, “It does take a lot of preparation, where the art teachers are building towards the show all year. Each time they finished a unit, they thought about it all year. They know in September that the February show is right around the corner. They think to themselves, which piece should the kids hang on to?”
In respect of the art classes themselves, Mr. Limone said that his favorite part of them is, “I like the way our art classes here have a chill and laid-back atmosphere. There are always welcome conversations with the opportunity for students to express themselves in a different way as artists. I like for the kids to take advantage of the art class because it’s a way for them to unwind during the day and it’s healthy in terms of the mental health aspect. It’s a spot in a day where you would let that stress go for a minute and it’s just restorative time.”
