IB Arts students have been preparing for their exhibition all year (or for the past 2 years). All the artwork they have been working on is either only put in their Process Portfolio or chosen to be represented in their final show. Depending on if you are HL or SL, each person creates either 8-11 (HL), or 4-7 (SL) pieces. It isn’t just an exhibition these kids work towards through the year(s), but also a Comprehensive Comparative Study in which they compare multiple artists and pieces, Process Portfolio in which they document their process of creating each work of art, and a Curatorial Rationale in which they explain their reasoning behind everything they’ve created in addition to their themes.
PROCESS:
When the day finally comes, the students have to come prepared with what they want to do. They’ve brainstormed this and have come up with the materials and knowledge of the ambiance they want to create. Each artwork has to be matted along with their Exhibition Texts that explain the meaning behind each piece.
We interviewed each IB art student to better understand the process. When being asked what the process was most replied that it was very stressful and a lot of work but it was still an enjoyable experience with exploring a topic and then seeing everything come together.
THE EXHIBITION:
When you first enter the exhibition you see the works of the ocean. After interviewing Sophia Winger on her work you can better understand the purpose of it all which is not just to look pretty. When asked What were the thoughts behind her exhibition? Sophia replied, “I wanted to show conservation, we live in a marine town so we need to appreciate that more.” The blue background represents the waves of the ocean flowing along each piece. Most of the photography seen throughout this exhibition was found right in Sophia’s backyard, including the jellyfish photographs. Just the fact that something so beautiful lives so close to home better adds to the fact we need to conserve our resources and not be careless about what happens to them. This exhibition shows the beauty of marine life. Why would you want to ruin that by not correctly throwing away a water bottle?
When you look to the left you will see the crumbling walls represented by different brown fabrics that are pinned and cinched in different areas. The art of destruction is displayed throughout the fabric. Lindsay Connolly, the artist behind these pieces, commented, “My exhibition was about the destruction of buildings and how even though they are falling apart they are still beautiful.” These works represent the beauty that remains even when something is abandoned and damaged. Lindsay included different deconstructed items in her exhibition as well.
When you look to the right you’ll notice the homey vibes of Clare DeSario’s exhibition, with the wallpaper, rug, and table reminiscent of an older age. Clare said, “My exhibition is about dementia and Alzheimers and its effects on the patient’s memory and personality.” Clare includes different props in her exhibition including, a framed photograph of a family, lipstick, and a box with jewelry. Something really interesting about Clare’s exhibition is a skirt that she sewed and painted on, depicting different faces and emotions. Clare used a lot of mixed media in her pieces to convey her message. One piece even includes puzzle pieces, adding a 3D element that is not only visually interesting but expresses a deep message. Clare’s background to her piece was put together with different fabrics which gives them a very cool texture and makes her piece pop against the board because of their contrast.
When you make a turn around the corner to the right you will see Caroline Carvajal’s exhibition. Her exhibition is inspired by her love for music. Caroline is a member of the Northport High School band so she is always surrounded by music. Caroline hopes to “get others to see the goodness in music” Caroline also said “The process was challenging, I had no idea what I was going to do, and then it kind of just came to me at a moment” In Caroline’s exhibition she includes real instruments as well, such as a saxophone. She also has a record player that has a record she painted in it. Another prop she includes is sheet music, all these different elements immerse the viewer into her art and thought process.
Further down the hall, you can find the colorful and abstract works of Ellie Johnson. Inspired by a past summer assignment about Chromesthesia in which students paint how a song makes them feel and see, she was led to explore abstract art. Ellie says “I was able to kind of incorporate my hobbies and interests with something I enjoy and I would recommend IB Visual Arts to people who kind of wanted to go that step further because there are other elements to it like writing and there’s a lot more research, so it’s a more rigorous class but if you’re up for a challenge I would recommend it.”
THOUGHTS FROM OTHER STUDENTS:
When interviewing other students who visited the exhibition throughout the school day, we heard a lot of positive comments and even some people interested in taking the class next year.
“I think it’s really good, it’s cool seeing my fellow IB scholars and peers create and how artistic their capabilities are and their mindset and how they portray their art with their emotions. The emotions they convey through their art, I can sense it”
“We enjoyed the piece that embodies Travis Scott in a way.” (Referring to Ellie’s piece)
“I like the sea animals, with the octopus vase, it was nice.” (Referring to Sophia’s piece)
“I like that there’s a lot of themes and we get to see stories from people’s lives and what matters most to them, expressed in a form of art.”
Overall the exhibition had a lot of positive feedback and students found it very interesting to see their peers’ perspectives on things and how they express their thoughts through art. IB Visual Art allows students to experiment and explore subjects they are interested in. It also allows others to better understand their thought process.
