This week, students taking IB Studio Art participated in a gallery at the Depot Art Center to show off some of their pieces they made throughout their time in class. The gallery is a part of their grade, and each artist has their own small section with a few of their best pieces.
One of the artists showing off her amazing work was Senior Anna Moreno. She had many pieces, including sculptures and paintings.
Moreno, regarding her piece Bleaching of the Ocean’s Stability, said, “The message of it is trying to show how our beautiful corals are becoming bleached and how they’re being unlovable for the current underwater life.”
Many of her pieces are this way, showing appreciation for the Earth’s aquatic life that is being harmed by human activity. This piece, in particular, was a two-piece sculpture that was in a ying-yang shape, showing one side with the pretty and colorful coral, and the other side showing them being bleached from pollution. “Previously, in middle school, I had done a coral ceramic piece and that’s what inspired it. And I looked up different ceramic coral pieces, as I wanted to take inspiration from what other artists have also done,” said Moreno.
Another artist at the gallery was Senior Jenna Ellquist. Her works consisted of things like painted handbags and high heels, as well as some notable handicraft pieces and sculptures. The one she talked about was called Time of the Month, and portrays a severed werewolf head that is biting into a uterus.
“It’s about the dehumanization of menstruating women. I chose to represent this through a severed werewolf head because of their connection to the moon and their tendency to be turned into a monster,” said Ellquist.
She also said that the favorite part of making this piece was bedazzling the blood on the uterus itself and on the lips of the wolf. It added this fun sparkle of red to contrast the wolf, and also added a touch of her own sparkle to the work.
“I want to reflect the craft and use of women’s work in the history of the art world,” said Ellquist.
Our last artist is Senior Valen Orrick, who stole the spotlight with their amazing comics and drawings.
On their piece Gods of Man, Orrick said, “I really liked it because it pushed me to explore a new aesthetic with the black and white colors. And it really focused on my theme, which is looking at the intersection of human societies and structures and how technology is altering our perception of us.”
This comic featured the black and white color scheme, along with a statement color for each piece. Orrick also said that their favorite part of creating this was making the shadows.
“It was really fun to see it all come together,” said Orrick.
Overall, all of the art at the art center was astounding to hear about and observe. The gallery is open with student art until March 15, so make sure to visit it while it is still open!
