On March 21, 2024 the Becton’s Art Department partnered with Maywood Avenue School and Alfred S. Faust Middle School for a collaborative art exhibit featuring student’s art. This is the second year that Becton has been invited to join. Long-time Becton art teacher, Dawn Savincki, partners with Maywood Avenue School’s art teacher, Mrs. Azzollini. Savincki sheds light on the process, “In the fall, we select the work, fill out the labels, and collaborate on what works will go into the show. Our own students will help us with framing.” The criteria to be chosen for this event is based on hard work, dedication, originality, and creativity.
Becton Visual & Performing Arts Teacher, Edward Donovan, describes the environment of the Youth Art Exhibit, “The atmosphere at the art exhibit was relaxed. It was a formal-but-accessible event in a way, in the sense that the art was elevated in a formal, professional way, but it was still a very accessible event and I think anyone could have walked in and felt like they belonged there. It was community-focused, and the atmosphere in the showcase itself carried that sentiment.”
Mr. Donovan shared the approach to choosing students’ pieces for the art exhibit, “We made the opportunity known to our classes here at Becton for students to submit works, and we also approached a few students in regard to specific projects from earlier in the year.”
Some of Becton’s own students reveal their experience on being featured in the Youth Art Exhibit. Sophomore Bless Almond Nichole Abaracoso shares her gratitude, “I felt happy getting my artwork showcased in the event. I had two of my projects showcased last year, and having another one displayed this year was very nice. I put a lot of work in every single piece that I have, and I appreciate and love every time they get chosen for events like this.” For this event, she showcased the Perspective Room Project, which focuses on a technique known as the “one-point perspective technique.” This is a drawing method that shows how the focus appears to get smaller as they get further away. The method is best for showing different levels of a scene like a room, a landscape, buildings, etc. The skills put into this project are shading, blending two different colors together, creativity, and of course, the ability to apply the technique into the artwork.
Michelle Mendieta also used the one-point technique. However in this case, she drew a “galactic study room with a somewhat cabin aesthetic.” She testifies how in the beginning, she felt anxious about showing off her work, “but when I saw my artwork in the exhibit I felt proud that I could even be associated with people who have that level of talent and skill.”
Another student, Sophomore Tausifa Islam, displayed her Low Poly Portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt. Some of her methods used were emphasizing different shading in the art piece to highlight different qualities of Eleanor and making the triangles different angles– so that the triangles were able to make the right shape of Eleanor’s face. Islam felt, “extremely proud and grateful that my artwork was showcased since I worked very hard on it. It was displayed next to many great pieces of art made by immensely skilled artists.”
Sophomore Kaylee Tuttle presented her pop art painting which was based on artwork by Roy Lichtenstein called Wow Girl. She states, “It was cool seeing my artwork at the Youth Art Exhibit alongside many other gifted students. I worked hard on this painting so it made me feel excited to see it displayed at my former elementary school where my past art teachers were present!”
Some of the highlights of the night were “meeting the families of the students and sharing with them how hard their child works in class and how proud we are as their teachers. We love to see how happy and proud both the students and parents are of the work. It was a pleasure announcing the names of all participating students and awarding them certificates. It has been rewarding meeting with Mrs. Azzollini from Maywood last year at a PD in-service and discussing art lessons, our curriculum, and ultimately collaborating. It’s also wonderful to see what the middle schools are creating and what skills they will bring with them to high school. Coming together around student artwork is very rewarding. We would like to thank our administration, Board of Education, and the rest of the school community for all of their continued support of the arts,” as stated by Mrs. Savincki.
The Art Department emphasizes the importance of being able to give students a chance to display their talent. Mrs. Savincki voiced, “It gives them a chance to see their artwork in a different light outside of the classroom. Plus, participating in shows is a way to get them ready for participating in shows as adults and at the college level. It also gives students a chance to see work done by their peers outside of their own school and to see how they’ve grown as artists from the elementary level or when they were younger. As well, each student artist can have a chance to talk to each other about what had inspired them to create the artwork being shown.”
Similarly, Mr. Donovan validates, “Showcasing artwork brings attention to students’ success stories. While many hours in an art class may be spent struggling to understand a new concept or technique, or practicing a new skill without much success, displaying the final product in a show like this gives students a platform to be respected for their work. So much of an artist’s work is behind the scenes, working independently on a project until we’re happy with it. Only when we are happy with something do we put it on display, and when that finally happens, it’s a victory to be shared with those who are close to us. Especially for students, with all the other classes they take and extracurricular activities demanding their time, it is important to have events that celebrate what the students have accomplished in the arts.”
Congratulations on a successful Youth Art Exhibit for all communities! We look forward to seeing more student art pieces in Becton’s Annual Art Show which will be held on June 5th.
