Arts students from Jasper Junior/Senior High School will get an opportunity to showcase their creative side during a three-day art exhibition hosted at the Jasper Art Gallery starting Feb. 24.
The unique opportunity is a chance for 22 grade 11 and 12 students enrolled in the high school鈥檚 Art 30 class to publicly display their work in a professional setting.
鈥淥ften they don鈥檛 get to show their work to a lot of people,鈥� said Geoff Fraser, the students鈥� art teacher.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important because it allows a broader audience to see their work and when you are creating something that you know other people are going to be looking at it might change your creative process.鈥�
He said it will also provide students a platform to celebrate their skills and talents.
鈥淭here isn鈥檛 a lot of opportunity for art to be displayed publicly so to be offered this space by the Jasper Artists Guild (JAG), I think it does a lot for our students confidence.鈥�
鈥淚t also provides an opportunity for them to step into the shoes of a working artist, someone who has deadlines and someone who is letting go of their work to be seen by the general public, I think that鈥檚 an important process for our students to go through.鈥�
Claude Boocock, chairperson for JAG, approached Fraser with the idea and he immediately jumped at it.
鈥淚 thought it would be a good chance for our class to celebrate their talent,鈥� said Fraser.
To get ready for the art exhibit, which is fittingly titled 鈥淵oung Minds,鈥� the class has been steadily working on various pieces of art since the beginning of January.
According to Fraser, the art exhibit will include a range of media, from landscape paintings to abstract art.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 make any restrictions whatsoever,鈥� said Fraser.
鈥淲e decided we鈥檇 keep it totally open, a free choice in terms of subject matter.鈥�
The deadline for students to complete their work was Feb. 21. He expects there will be about 30 pieces at the exhibit.
For grade 12 student Oriana Clark, it will be her first public art exhibit.
鈥淚 like the exposure of course and I like showing that even kids have talent and it doesn鈥檛 matter where you start in art, there are people that are bad at it and there are people that are good at it, and everyone is at different points in between,鈥� said Clark, who hopes to attend a college for animation in Toronto or Vancouver after she graduates.
For her art piece titled 鈥渄isconnected鈥� she used dark shades of acrylic paint on canvas to carefully create a layered effect while adding a few coloured highlights to make the central figure appear disconnected from the rest of the painting, hence its name.
Michael Flisak, JAG鈥檚 curatorial committee chair, has been working with the students to set up the exhibit in time for opening day on Feb. 24. The exhibit is open from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Students will be on-hand to discuss their work and light refreshments will also be available.
The exhibition continues over the weekend on Feb. 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really just a chance for students to learn how to exhibit their own work,鈥� said Flisak.
鈥淚 think it will help to inspire them to pursue their dreams.鈥�
In addition to inspiring art students, he said he hoped the exhibit would beef up students鈥� portfolios who are applying to post-secondary art schools.
His comments were echoed by Boocock.
鈥淛AG is pleased to continue promoting visual fine arts in our community, by teaching our youth the ropes to mounting an art exhibition,鈥� she wrote in an email.
鈥淲e hope this experience will prove most valuable to them, and be an asset on their portfolios, when applying for post-secondary education.鈥�
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
