Artist seniors came together May 3 in the Black Box Theater for a memorable night. The Senior Show, hosted annually for graduating fine arts students, included live music, a snack table and a display of different fine arts students’ portfolios all around; the portfolios included a range of artwork from fashion designs to ceramics.
The room was divided into two halves. While one side of the room featured drawings and paintings of animals dressed up in outfits with silly faces, the other side was decorated with artwork diving into deeper feelings and traumas of the artist. Each artist had different concepts and ideas they were inspired by for their portfolio.
Senior Deniz Esen was inspired by her love of playing games. Esen had a passion for building houses with different blocks and designs on Minecraft before she began architecture. Esen will be going to the University of Florida for Architecture.
Senior Nicole Antonietta’s art theme was “exploring the body,” which was inspired by philosophical ideas and pop culture. Her favorite out of all her designs was the jacket designed with the pattern of the brain. “It was the hardest one to make, but it conveyed the theme and message [of the theme,]” she said. Antonietta will be attending Parsons for Fashion Design.
“For my artwork, I get much of my inspiration from digital designs,” senior Victoria Sgarbi said. Her favorite of all her pieces was her newest one, a painting featuring her family. “I put everything I explored [throughout my art journey],” she said.
For others, particularly seniors Natalie Soterakis and Aanya Doshi, the past served as their inspiration. The two friends’ portfolios included references to cowboys and senior Doshi even dressed up in a sheriff costume for the event.
Soterakis stated that she will attend Ringling College of Art and Design for Illustration and Doshi will be going to Purdue for Engineering; however, she plans to continue making art on the side. Similarly, senior Jada Tuffin will be majoring in Environmental Science at Boston College, with the goal of creating paintings on the side.
An hour into the event, the art teachers gave the Artist of the Year title to one of the many talented artists in the room. Before announcing the winner, Mrs. Andrea Preston, who teaches AP art classes, stated that it was hard to pick a single student but this student “showed consistent dedication to their art, had a passion for painting and design and was accepted to almost every art and design college they applied for.” Sgarbi, who will be attending Rhode Island School of Design with a $60,000 scholarship for Graphic Design, received the honor.
After the announcements, seniors gathered around to take a one last look at their pieces and meet with their friends. The night finally ended with a bittersweet goodbye from the students to the teachers who supported them throughout their journey at the school.
Photos taken by Kayra Dayi.
