AP Art students worked on their in-progress portfolio pieces during the art show.
The poem “Two-Headed Calf” inspired Eli Coblenz to create a sculpture that embodies acceptance, being content in the moment, and the beauty of life.
Despite the calf’s abnormality and impending demise, the Providence Day junior says, the creature takes time to admire the night sky and soak in the present instead of being distracted by the past or future.
“While creating this sculpture, I made sure to emphasize the eyes, as they are the means by which the cow displays its sense of ambedo, a state of living in which you are absorbing into your surroundings,” says Eli of his sculpture based on Laura Gilpin’s poem.
“The large, shiny eyes make any light reflecting off their surface look like the stars the calf is viewing; along with the specificity of one head looking directly at viewers — the eyes draw people in, reflecting back their curiosity. Additionally, the hunting trophy style of this bust forever freezes the inquisitive and mindful nature we all must adopt.”
Eli’s work will be one of more than a dozen pieces on display at the Advanced Placement (AP) Student Art Show, which kicks off Thursday in the foyer of the McMahon Fine Arts Center. The show will be a single-day event, but artwork will be on exhibit until roughly the morning of January 21.
Felipe Maldonado, an Upper School Visual Arts teacher, says there are 19 students in the AP art course, the largest group of students in Providence Day history.
“While some may not be in attendance during the event due to a prior commitment, their artwork will still be included to view so that they are part of the experience,” Mr. Maldonado says.
Variety of work on display
Eli Coblenz (left) and Elle Sigg (right) pose with their artwork.
The show will incorporate both the AP 2-D studio design and the AP 3-D Studio Design students. A variety of works will be on display, from drawings and paintings to mixed media and assemblages of sculpture materials.
“[My] piece was made with a cardboard armature to form the two base shapes that then was covered in foil and duct tape,” Eli says. “Next, I researched and made a homemade, lightweight, and air-dry clay, allowing the piece to be hung. After about six batches of clay, the piece was finished with paint and a gloss glaze on the eyes and nose.”
Senior Elle Sigg created a piece for the art show called “Lost in Your Thoughts of the World.” She decided to create the work this past November when the country was voting on its next president.
“It was a time where I became very overwhelmed with politics because I was voting for the first time,” Elle says. “I noticed myself zoning out during weeks leading up to the election just thinking about everything going on in the world.”
Elle represented these thoughts in her artwork by creating a maze in the shape of a brain, with a character stuck in the middle of the maze in solum. “They are presented with their head looking down at the maze as if they are lost in their thoughts of the world, which I believe a lot of humans relate to,” she says.
Her piece is made entirely out of recycled materials.
“The character I created is formed out of 168 different cut cardboard shapes,” she says. “The maze is covered with newspapers that represent the entirety of the world today: starting with grocery store coupons, to religious motivations, to a man holding a lion cub, to a story about Beyoncé, and then to political debates. All of the subjects I presented in the maze were intended to help illuminate humans' ordinary thoughts in which we all lose our way in.”
For Elle, it’s beneficial that her work is displayed so friends and teachers can see how much time and hard work she’s put into her 3D portfolio.
An audience
(Left) Students from other visual arts classes leave anonymous feedback for the artists as they work to hone their pieces. (Right) Payton Thompson's art on display at the AP art show.
Mr. Maldonado agrees that exposure is extremely important to young artists because it allows them to break their boundaries of “fear of judgment” and gives them another opportunity to hear a different perspective on their art.
“Work displayed also allows the students to see the work in a ‘finished’ stage,” he says. “While not truly complete, the artist can take the opportunity to see what the artwork looks like in this new environment and, in turn, they themselves can dissect particular parts that either need to be fixed or changed out.”
Payton Thompson, a senior, is displaying two pieces for the show: a charcoal still-life drawing, “Who I A,m” and “Scraping the Soul,” a sustained investigation in her AP portfolio.
“Who I Am” includes many items symbolizing her religion.
“It features my Bible, my cross necklace, my headphones, and my computer, which is on one of my Christian playlists,” Payton says. “In ‘Scraping the Soul,’ I am discussing how AI generators and machines scrape real artwork from other artists.”
Art became a passion of Payton’s during COVID quarantine when she spent her free time practicing skills.
“It is important to have a show where student work is displayed because it is a means of showing off student talent,” Payton says. “Additionally, it has the possibility to inspire viewers to pursue or create art.”
Students will be working on their artwork during the event, as well.
“It’s important for us to display our art to show off the creativity that can be found at Providence Day,” Eli says. “Additionally, our class has worked so hard, and I think it’ll benefit us to receive positive feedback from outside sources.”