Each year, students are recognized and appreciated for their hard work and skill in various different areas of study. The Annual Art Show opens the door for fine art students to showcase their creativity and talents, according to Art teacher Natalie Ingaunis.

The art show is displayed every year in the Lyceum at South, and consists of works of art from all first semester fine art students and a few second semester students, according to Ingaunis. The show incorporates art from every available art class, such as Drawing 1 and 2, Painting 1 and 2, Ceramics, Jewelry and AP Art, as well as some works from Independent Study students. According to Ingaunis, the main aspiration of the art exhibit every year is to let GBS know what is happening in the Fine Arts Department.

“It gives them an opportunity for recognition for the work that they’ve been doing,” Ingaunis said. “[In] a lot of areas of the arts, students are recognized for what they do […]. We all go and see the Variety Show, we go and see the musicals, we go to the plays, you see the athletes perform. No one really comes down and checks out what the fine artists are doing, so this is their way to show off their skills and passions.”

The South community doesn’t necessarily understand how intense the art program is, so the exhibit is a good opportunity for people to fully recognize the amount of effort put into pieces, according to Ingaunis,

“I think it an excellent visual display of the hard work that is done in our classes,” Ingaunis said. “I don’t think enough credit is given to students for their pursuit of their artistic skills and development, and the show definitely gives off an air of excellence. We do expect a lot from our students. We have high standards, and they work really hard to meet those standards.”

Art teacher Stephanie Fuja explained that the exhibit is a good way to get the word out about the many classes offered at South, while at the same time honoring the students’ work.

“To have your work in an art show is a huge honor, so students get really excited about that,” Fuja said. “As well as just putting our work out there in all of our classes for students that aren’t taking classes, for teachers to take their classes down, visitors, eighth graders [or] anyone coming in just to see what we have to offer.”

According to Grace Pulliam, sophomore art student, the exhibit is a very effective way for artists to get critiqued and receive constructive criticism from their peers.

“I think it’s nice because I went [to the exhibit] with my friends and they were like, ‘Oh, this is something you could have done better, but it looked really good,’ and it’s nice to receive not only the criticism, but also the praise for it,” Pulliam said. “People telling you that your art looks really nice feels really good.”

Rhea Shah, freshman art student, reflected on the benefits of the art show to South students and specifically art students. According to Shah, art students gain a sense of confidence, pride and accomplishment when they see the piece that they’ve worked on extremely hard on display for everyone to see.

“It’s important for a student to see how well their peers are doing in their fortes, and it’s nice to see that certain people have certain strengths in certain subjects, and it’s important for everyone at South to know that,” Shah said.

Fuja explained that the exhibit is unique from other art exhibits hosted at South. The goal is to honor all types of art, as well as celebrating the many artist at various levels.

“It’s just a really good celebration of every student’s work,” Fuja said. “It’s not the best of the best, it’s everyone.”