On Thursday, April 24th, Clipper creativity was put on full display at the Xaverian Art Show! The third floor, as well as Alumni Hall, was transformed into an art gallery. This space has been chosen for the past 11 years because it is a quiet place where students, faculty, and parents can view the artwork without distractions. 

At the Art Show, students were able to show off numerous pieces of art, all of which required great time and effort. Each student involved in an art class is required to contribute at least one or more pieces to the show. The classes that participated this year include Studio Art, Digital Art, Foundations of Drawing and Painting, Introduction to Architecture, Fashion, AP Studio Art, and all of the Genesis Art classes. Through their participation, students from each class are able to show off what they have learned throughout the year.

In each art course, students are exposed to many different styles of art including: Representationalism, Pop-Art, Abstract Art, Sculptures, and more. The classes expose students to many different styles of art in order to allow them to discover what their true artistic passion is.  

    

The show was organized by Mr. Mathews, Art Department Chairperson, as well as art teachers Ms. Mesiti, and Ms. Tozzi. Mr. Mathews credits Ms. Mesti and Ms. Tozzi for their dedication to their students, as well as the Art Show’s success. 

“There is a tremendous amount of work that goes on behind the scenes involving setting up, gathering, and arranging artwork, and so much more. It’s an exhausting procedure, but they make it look effortless,” said Mathews.

      

There were many notable pieces throughout the show. Many of them came from Ms. Mesiti and Ms. Tozzi’s Studio Art classes. In one art display, the students in these classes focused their works on onomatopoeia, a word that represents a sound. This concept was brought to life through the students' artwork and arranged in an impressive display.

Also displayed in the art gallery were two notable pieces of artwork that really stood out. One was done by AP Studio Art student Callie Guevarra. She created a large sea turtle entangled in a fishing net, along with bottles and cans. Another piece came from Lucia Seminara, a sophomore in Studio Art. Lucia copied a Van Gogh painting titled Wheat Field With Cypresses. These were two highlights among countless other stand-out pieces that contributed to the Art Show’s success.     

 

The Art Show has been going on at Xaverian for several years. However, before 2012, only seniors could take art classes and participate in the show. Eventually, the show lost recognition and was eliminated altogether.

However, in 2012, Mr. Mathews became the head of the art department. He and others were encouraged to bring back the Art Show and transform several classrooms into art galleries. Over the years, the Art Show has continued to evolve and grow, so much so that even the Genesis students at Xaverian now enthusiastically contribute to the gallery.

         

Mr. Mathews proudly shared his thoughts on the importance of the Art Show here at Xaverian. 

“When you see students who have had limited exposure to the arts and creating art, you become amazed at the journey they go through to apply what they have learned and use it to create some quite wonderful pieces of art.”  

     

It’s great to see how far the Art Show has come in such a short amount of time. It’s also great to see how student interest in the Art Show and their dedication to art as a whole have continued to rapidly increase here at Xaverian. This year's Art Show was a great success thanks to all the students and teachers involved!