Art Department Puts on Annual Shows

The themes are set. The art is finished. The galleries are full. It’s award show time for the art department at East, and their work is being showcased all around the city. From the National Art Honor Society’s (NAHS) annual fashion show to the District Art Fair at the R&D Forum, student artists will be displaying their hard work.

Art Department Coordinator and art teacher, Adam Finkelston, has been preparing for these events all year, starting with the art auction held tonight. Finkelston came up with the theme, Onomatopoeia, months ago to inspire the artists.

“I just like that word and I’m interested in fashion that incorporates sound,” Finkelston said. “Also, I try to think of words that have direct interpretations you can make … but you can interpret that in a lot of different ways.”

The auction tonight at Studio B. in the Crossroads is the first one of its kind the art department has held. Because of that, Finkelston doesn’t know how much money they will raise, but he hopes it will be beneficial. Also, this is the first year they are charging for admission to the NAHS Fashion Show.

“It could be anywhere from [$300] to $1,000,” Finkelston said. “I really don’t know what to expect.”

The theme of the auction is also being carried over into the fashion show Thursday night where secondary students from all over Shawnee Mission will be showcasing their designs. There are about 20 East students involved from designing to styling to modeling. The students signed up for the show at the beginning of the year, but according to Finkelston the artists aren’t done until the last second.

“[The design process] usually doesn’t end until about 10 seconds before they go out onto the runway,” Finkelston said. “They’re literally sewing their models into the dresses or making last minute touches.”

Since Finkelston does all of the production himself, the decorations aren’t what he tries to focus on. He wants the focus to be on the student’s designs, not strobe lights or crazy production.

“It’s just about the student’s designs and the artwork,” Finkelston said. “I come up with a theme and make the rules and run the show, but they make the show.”

In addition to the auction and fashion show, various students will be participating in the Push Pin Plus exhibition at the UMKC gallery of art. They will also be at the district show April 26 and 27, and the department is hosting their own show the first week in May with a reception on May 8.