Special Installations at Art Show 2023

Leilani created a collection of pieces using a combination of India Ink and Acrylic Paints. She was working in a rather specific and limited color palette which creates a unifying theme and sets a very moody tone. We are so proud of the ways she challenged and expressed herself this semester!

“I made all of these pieces with a dark sky in mind. I’m in love with the sky because it has no limits. The night sky reminds me of the color purple.The color purple is ALIVE, FUN, LONELY, and SCARED all at the same time, just as I feel the sky is too.

The color purple and the sky aren’t afraid to show who they are. If the sky wants to be cloudy or rainy or maybe even sunny… it will be.

PURPLE comes in different shades, and they all resemble different things. Some are fierce, some scared, some lonely, some happy and some lively. 

I admire that so much. So I put these into my paintings so that maybe you can see what I see and feel how I feel.”

[Leilani, 8th Grade]

This year for the first time we had a number of our students plan, create, and display their own installations of artwork at our annual Art Show. They worked all semester to learn new art forms, to connect to their emotions, and find ways to share stories through the work they create.

Seeing their work on Wednesday was powerful and a reminder of just how significant the act of creating can be in the life of a child.

Jeremyah (11 years) standing beside his installation of work at the Art Show. He enjoyed exploring with mono-printing and linocut printmaking techniques this semester.

Jeremyah was so dedicated this semester to growing in his skills as well as connecting to his life experiences and emotions through the creative process.

His maturity and intentionality was evident in the body of work he shared last Wednesday night.

“These pieces I created are connected because there are a lot of lines and paths going different directions. The lines represent all the things people want and need out of life… The paths they can take and what might happen to them.”

[An excerpt from Jeremyah’s Artist Statement]