The soft sound of eight paintbrushes against paper is music to Amanda Harding and Sdyney Carr’s ears after school on Tuesdays in Room 111. They are surrounded by artwork which serves to inspire and motivate them in their artistic journey. The room is filled to the brim with easels. There’s a soft light coming from corners of the room, from lightshades being crafted with paper mache.
The Art Club is hosted in Room 111 from 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. There are many forms of artistic expression students get to work with, ranging from watercolors to paper collages and even digital art.
“Myself and Mrs. Harding both wanted to start an art club over the last few years but haven’t had the right space or timing to get it going. We know there is student interest, so we got it going early this year,” Carr said.
Art Club is welcome to any new members to their sessions. In the club description, it states its “goal is to have a safe and comfortable space for people to explore their creativity.” There is no criterion to join other than to have a love of art.
“I love art because it’s fun,” freshman Micah O’Dell said. Art Club is similar to the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) from a few years ago, however, with the renovation of the 100s Hallway, the club was put on pause and ultimately cancelled.
“Now that our classrooms are back in working order, we decided to bring art club back, just simply as Art Club, instead of NAHS hoping to attract more students who may have been intimidated by the ‘official’ title of NAHS,” Carr said. The title change from “NAHS” to art club is overall more inclusive and less intimidating for students.
“I think it can provide a lot of practice and just finding what type of art you want to do and what you like,” sophomore Claire Bland said. Usually, Bland practices sketching and improving her art style during club meetings. She finds the club can help students fit time into their schedule to be motivated to write, because working with others can be especially motivating.
“I would like to get better at my art style, because it’s all over the place, but that’s kind of the main thing,” Bland said. She benefits from the club time because she can work on making an art style uniquely hers. Along with this, she also practices with watercolors during meetings/
“I paint with water colors and all that,” Bland said. The club helps students learn new techniques such as texturing their art with watercolors.
“The smell of paint, the feeling of the marker coloring my hands, and the sight of artwork and 3D sculptures around everywhere,” sophomore Gabriella Sheard said. There is a variety of art which surrounds students, ranging from sculptures to paintings.
“We all sit in a room and have the opportunity to talk to each other,” O’Dell said. Art Club is an opportunity for students to meet others with similar passions.
Many students in the Art Club have ambitious goals for the school year. Bland wishes to improve her art style, making it uniquely hers, by practicing during the club. O’Dell’is trying to encourage their peers to begin a self-portrait project where each student gets an opportunity to represent themself.
“We are a club, but we don’t give club energy,” O’Dell said.
O’Dell’s favorite project so far is a collage which was made with a poem written by freshman Shelby Starr. First, Starr wrote the poem and handed it to O’Dell. The poem inspired O’Dell to create a collage which connected the poem with pastel yellows, blues and pinks. This collage of writing and colors now has a home with O’Dell and their family. The project emphasized the community-like feel of Art Club by combining writing and art into one beautiful piece.
While the club currently only has a handful of members, it is open to anyone and everyone who is passionate about exploring their artistic drive. Currently, there is no way to see the art the club makes, other than by attending one of the Tuesday meetings. To get involved with Art Club, email [email protected] or [email protected].
