If you have walked past the large art displays all around the school this past week, you have also witnessed a whole new side to LM students that you may not have been aware of—the artistic side. Students in all art courses have expressed their imagination in their artwork and, luckily for us, put it on display all around the school. You might have stopped to stare at and admire these beautiful pieces such as those on boards in the upper atrium, the detailed portraits in the nurses’ hallway, and the vibrant sketches outside the guidance office. Thankfully, there was an opportunity to do more than just glance at these pieces between classes. On May 7, from six to nine p.m., many took time out of their days to enjoy the amazing creations of your fellow classmates and visit the art show.

It is easy to get caught up in all the sports at LM, but we are reminded that art students put just as much time and effort into their work as athletes do. As senior and AP Art
student Dan Matthews put it, “I think that a lot of times when you think of LM you get wrapped up in the sports and the school spirit around sports, but there’s a lot of appreciation for the arts.  It’s also just a nice culminating event for the art students, because they worked the whole year and now they get to show off.” Many students refer to art as a hobby, but, upon seeing the art displays, it is obvious that these art pieces are so much more.

This particularly relates to seniors, who have been waiting for this moment ever since they starting taking art classes as underclassmen. AP Studio Art and Art 3 Honors student Andrea Barnes, who finally has her own senior art board, said this of the experience: “leading up to it over the past four years, there’s been a lot of anticipation and anxiety over it, and, now that it’s here, it’s a good way to end high school.” Just like an important sporting event, there is the same stress leading up to that final moment. And, for all the seniors and art students this year, the art show was that moment when they got to shine. It was the final result of all their hard work.

If the art itself wasn’t enough, there were plenty of other reasons to come out to the show. Aside from the food, visitors got to know each artist through his or her work. Students blossom through their artwork, and, as art teacher and art show coordinator Louise Pierce stated, the main factor in the difference between pieces is “the individuality of the person making it. Everybody brings the entire history of their life to an art piece, so they bring their voice and that includes things like their interpretation of an assignment, their color sense, and their sense of space. You know, there are so many factors that make up a [piece of] artwork. And it’s just as individual as the person.” Nobody was bored as they observed the compositions, and they were able to understand art students better through the techniques they used and the messages they strove to convey. The month-long art show has truly been a wonderful opportunity to see beautiful pieces and gain insight into the minds of LM’s talented art students.