The Harker art department hosted its inaugural Juried Art Exhibition in the Shah Hall Gallery on Apr. 30. Over 100 student artists featured 244 original creations in six competitive categories: drawing; painting; sculpture; ceramics; digital photography and graphic design; and printmaking, collage and mixed media.
“We had double the amount of classes this year,” said teacher Pilar Agüera-Esparza, who reflected on the expansion of the Study of Visual Art class to freshmen and sophomores this year. The growth, she added, resulted in “more variety in the types of projects created.”
When asked about the benefits such an event brings to Harker, Agüera-Esparza quoted Stanford professor and artist Elliot Eisner: “Not everything has a practical utility, but maybe it’s experientially valuable. Learning through the arts promotes the idea that there is more than one solution to a problem, or more than one answer to a question.”
Harker students and faculty experienced the exhibits while munching pizza and cake and enjoying a performance by the US Jazz Band, with vocalist Frankie Nagle, Gr. 9, and conducted by Chris Florio. Artist, educator and retired member of the Harker faculty, Don Maxwell, served as judge. Best of Show award went to freshman Susan Tu and sophomores Jeanette Chin and Jackie Ho for their mixed media creation “Plank Mask.” Ho, who displayed nine works, also won the award for Most Exhibited Artist. Categorical awards included:
Drawing – First Place: “Light Study: Chairs and Stools,” charcoal and pastel by Jackie Ho, Gr. 10.
Drawing – Honorable Mention: “Paper Light Study,” charcoal by Winny Huang, Gr. 11.
Painting – First Place: “Commotion,” acrylic on canvas by Eugenia Sorotokin, Gr. 12.
Painting – Honorable Mention: “Grass,” oil on canvas by Heidi Wang, Gr. 12.
Sculpture – First Place: “Untitled,” alabaster stone by Jami Woolsey, Gr. 12.
Sculpture – Honorable Mention: “Untitled,” alabaster stone by Kyle Drummer, Gr. 10.
Photo/Digital – First place: “Cliffs,” digital illustration by Melissa Chen, Gr. 12.
Photo/Digital – Honorable Mention: “Self-Portrait,” digital illustration by Katrina Kao, Gr. 10.
Ceramics – First Place: “Yellow/Orange Vessel,” ceramics by Julian Stahl, Gr. 11.
Ceramics – Honorable Mention: “Ochre & White Vessel,” ceramics by Lauren Moser, Gr. 11.
Printmaking/Collage/Mixed Media – First Place: “I love love,” collage by Tiffany Lai, Gr. 12.
Printmaking/Collage/Mixed Media – Honorable Mention: “Inspired by Social Realism,” by Niti Shahi, Gr. 10.