Artists have a certain kind of freedom that is not seen in any other field, with different forms and styles of art such as sculpture, painting, and photography that help them express themselves through their work. Recently, KO students in the Advanced Studio class were given the opportunity to showcase their work at an art show on Jan. 5 in Roberts Theater where friends and family could come and view the work they had made in the class.
Advanced Studio is a semester-long class offered to seniors during the fall. In the class, students experiment with different forms of art and create a portfolio, which can be used to apply to art colleges in the future. “It’s really a student-centered class where they decide what they want to work on and what they want to work with,” art teacher Katie Burnett said. “There’s sculpture, there’s photography. There’s a little bit of everything.”
Most students in the class are extremely passionate about art, with many going beyond the requirements to graduate and choosing the class out of interest. With the variety of mediums explored in the class, it helps some students, like senior Link Lee, to push beyond their comfort zone and try something new. “I did a lot of sketching and drawings, as well as digital art,” Link said. “Taking art classes at KO really gave me the opportunity to work with more mediums like alcohol markers.”
This past winter was the first time a gallery opening for the class was held, where guests from in and outside of the KO community were invited to visit the gallery and talk with the students themselves about their work. “It worked out well because there was a concert, so I just had the art opening happen an hour before the concert started,” Ms. Burnett said. “Not just the family got to see the work, but everybody that was coming to the concert also got to see it.”
While the gallery is open to the KO community during the day, Ms. Burnett believes that there are benefits to holding a gallery opening as opposed to just letting students view it in their free time. “It’s really meaningful for those students,” she said. “They want to be there. So for them to get to show their work to their family is awesome.” Ms. Burnett also believed that students explaining the meaning behind their work was also helpful. Link shared a similar sentiment. “I had the chance to personally give a few parents and friends a walk-through of my art works,” she said. “I think it helps the audience understand our piece’s meaning and why we create them.”
With the success of this year’s Advanced Studio art show, there are hopes to make a gallery opening an annual event for the class. “I think people enjoy looking at the artwork and seeing what everybody’s doing,” Ms. Burnett said. While there may be some aspiring artists who are hesitant to share their work with the community and beyond, Link offered some words of encouragement. “Even if you feel that your work is not good enough, help is always open in the art room,” she said. “The best way to improve your art is making mistakes and learning from them. You’ll never know how much you can achieve if you don’t take your first steps towards the goal.”
Congratulations to all of the students in the Advanced Studio class! We’re all very proud of you, and we cannot wait to see what art you create next!
