The new gallery spaces are about to open up for students and faculty members across the hallways in the main building. A variety of visual art forms such as photography, painting, drawing will be displayed.
The 2022–2023 Student Arts Council, which consists of three seniors and three juniors, has touched on many aspects of the art activities held throughout Concord Academy. The council intends to expand accessibility to all the arts around CA and allow student artists to participate in enriching community art experience. They have directed their current initiatives into the new gallery spaces in the main building and anticipate future improvements including pop-up performances and arts amenities for students on campus. “This year, our goals are to advocate for both visual and performing arts through art galleries, weekend events, open studios, shared equipment, and interdisciplinary performances. Through adding new gallery spaces, we hope to further advocate for student works and display the community talent to all visitors,” remarked Irene Jiang ’24, a member of the Student Arts Council.
Members of the Student Arts Council each contributed to the final display, sending out emails to adults in charge of displays in the main school building and collaborating with the Visual Arts Department to garner student artworks to be available for exhibitions in the hallways. Furthermore, during the Student Arts Council’s last meeting, they measured the dimensions of the space and prepared to exhibit the chosen artworks.
Senior artist and council member Alicia Zhang ’23 explained, “By replacing the very old art with newer ones, we are displaying the art created by current and recent students rather than ones created decades ago.” The new gallery spaces advocate the presentation of student work throughout the school year by switching the art in a rotation system so there is always new art being shown. Not only is the exhibition interesting in its sharing of student artwork, it is also a way for CA students and faculties to become aware of student artists in the first place. The gallery gives the students who have not been able to participate in an art course this year a chance to share their work and students who have genuine interests in art but no background knowledge an opportunity to be inspired by the works of others.
Now that the gallery spaces will soon be open for all students and faculty members to look at during their way to classes, lunch, and meetings, it should be very easy to spot these beautiful works of art that students have been working on. CA students and faculty should appreciate the artists’ effort in the works displayed and be impressed by all the talented hands at this school!