Student Art Show: International Baccalaureate students prepare for their annual art showcase

Two years of working tirelessly on art pieces will culminate for senior International Baccalaureate Visual Art students at the annual IB Art showcase on April 4.

Students are required to create at least eight pieces to put on display based around a central theme in a variety of mediums.

“My theme was about individualism because I’m an identical twin,” senior Nora Herring said. “A lot of my pieces gave symbolism based on my identity as a twin.”

The students are given free time in class to work on their pieces. According to Herring, their teacher Adam Finkleston tries to give his students as much freedom as possible without spending too much time talking.

The students don’t only create paintings — they also make everything from clay pottery to charcoal drawings. The students have the freedom to create whatever project they desire as long as it’s related to their theme.

“I made a charcoal drawing of myself,” senior Oliver Novo said.  “Then I ripped it in half and loosely stitched it back together.”

Novo calls this piece “The Perfectionist.”

“It took the entirety of the second quarter to finish,” Novo Said.

Another student participating in the art show, senior Rachel Foster, created a painting out of metal. She did this by bending and soldering dozens of pieces of metals together to create an image of a girl surfing on waves.

Foster estimated that she has spent over 100 hours working on her art over the previous two years.

Visitors will be welcomed into the showcase on April 4 during seminar. It will be open throughout the following week.

“[Students] should come so they can feel inspired,” Foster said. “They can connect with the stories that are symbolized with the art so they feel less alone.”