AP art students feature their work in VCA gallery

By Lucy Wing, Reporter

 

The VHS AP art students have spent upwards of 10 to 15 hours a week creating and assembling portfolios this year. For the month of June, this artwork will be showcased in the main gallery of the Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA), with each student having personally framed and arranged their work to display in their own section.

AP art teacher Kristen Adams is pleased by the opportunity to showcase student work for the community.

“I’ve been so impressed with what they’ve been creating, so it’s really exciting to get to have a more traditional celebration in a physical space.” she said.

The shift to online learning had a dramatic impact on art classes. Still, devoted art students pushed through, drawing on this strange time as inspiration.

“The students have been really dedicated to their portfolios and have been putting in a ton of work even with the hurdles of remote learning, hybrid learning, a pandemic, and all the stress of that.” Adams said.

During her time as an art teacher at VHS, Adams has helped to make the arts department a place for students who are artistically driven to improve their craft.

“Ms. Adams had been giving us cool prompts all year, which has helped me a lot to branch out into different art styles,” senior and AP art student Payton Venturi said.

 

 

Adams also made note of the supportive environment in this year’s AP art class.

“AP art students self-select, so there is always a lot of passion and energy, but this year with COVID, … it has almost amplified the need for AP art.” she said. “It’s been a place where [students] can get inspiration for themselves and share support for one another.”

Adams hopes that showcasing the art in the gallery will prove to be both enjoyable for the community and beneficial for the students who created it..

“[Students having their work in the gallery is] really exciting because a lot of these students will continue to utilize their art for scholarships, or other opportunities as art professionals. It’s also just an amazing opportunity for them to celebrate their incredible work this year.” she said.