Senior Art show gives students opportunity to display work

Revere High School hosted its annual Celebration of the Arts, featuring artwork from every school in the Revere district.

The Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) District Art Show Committee ran Celebration of the Arts, the district art show, which included artwork from every grade kindergarten through twelve, demonstrations, and senior booths lining the walls. For the community, the show provided special events such as Senior Citizens Day and Elementary School Night. PTSA, teachers and students all contributed heaps of work into the show. Pierson elaborates on what sets our school apart from others.

“The thing that sets our school apart is that our PTSA puts this together, and because it is community run, it is successful. . . . If it was not a PTSA art show, it would not happen. You have to give credit to the Revere PTSA because they really put it together . . . It has gotten more efficient every year. It would be hard to find another school that does this the same way we do it, or as well as we do it,” Pierson said.

Running the show the PTSA does everything from creating the entry forms to providing the ribbons. Karen Smik, Co-chair of the District Art Show Committee, further elaborated on what exactly they do.

“As a committee, we work alongside the art teachers to create student entry forms, decide categories and judging criteria, as well as organize and facilitate student entry day. We secure judges and host judging day, raise money for art display panels and collect donations for the [cost of] show expenses. In preparation for the show, we hang the artwork and setup the 3D entry tables for each of the four school buildings. We also “recruit” Revere students to provide entertainment and line up various art technique demonstrations for show nights. Lastly, we take down the show with help from parents and students,” Smik said.

Art teachers at the high school including Paulette Colantone, Sandra Fox, Robert Pierson, and Jennifer Seegert all contribute in different ways to the show. Fox, the ceramics teacher, handle the senior portion of the show as she embarks in the lengthy process of putting together the booths.

“In February, I put an announcement on and have the kids sign up for if they want a booth. . . . Once a set list is made I figure out how many booths we need and how big the gym is, I do the math and figure out how big every booth can be. I go first to the NAHS president, the vice president of NAHS, and the Art Club president because they serve the school- and let them choose which booth they want first. . . . Then I give them a sheet of paper with the rules and regulations and details of when we do the building. They have [from April 21 to 23] to get their booths up. The seniors also do a bio, and so they are sending me their bios which we format and include their picture and print on cardstock for their booths,” Fox said.

Students contributed greatly to the show as they not only entered their artwork but also set up, tore down, demonstrated, and show off senior booths. Seniors McKenna Becker and Grace Godard, senior co-presidents of National Art Honors Society (NAHS), provided not just their booths and award winning artwork, but also helped put together the show.

“I am contributing to the show through my design that was chosen for the shirts and posters to promote the art show, typing up senior biographies, and giving NAHS members their recognition through a speech, certificates of membership, and the seniors a cord for graduation,” Becker said.

Celebration of the Arts spanned from April 24-27 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. and was open to community members.