Thursday, November 20, the creative minds of NC’s art students shone on display during a self-hosted gallery night. Featuring the creative projects of Visual Arts Composition (VA Comp), Printography, Photography, Drawing and Painting, Ceramics, Applied Design and Advanced Placement (AP) Art, the Deal building became crowded with those seeking joy created at the hands of students’ wild imaginations.
Beginning in 2020, visual arts teacher Karrie Arana created NC’s gallery night for a project while completing her master’s degree at Kennesaw State University (KSU). Since then, the event skyrocketed in popularity and fostered a passion for creativity within the NC community, as displayed by the attendance of 50 to 60 people at the latest gallery.
“Art can be appreciated by anyone from any walk of life. Art is so special because it’s visual, and we all have the ability to see colors and shapes — anyone who looks at a piece of art can somehow relate to it in some kind of way. So art for high schoolers, for people who love art and enjoy making art, can be a way to unwind, a meditative practice, a way to express yourself, a way to celebrate the gift that you have for creating. It’s an amazing thing,” Arana said.
To throw the event, the visual arts program put in an insurmountable amount of work, undertaking countless hours to complete tasks, including the oversight in the production of pieces, curating and arranging the gallery, communicating with partnering programs and advertising, particularly via social media. Contributing high school artists started creating art for displays at the beginning of the school year, preparing all semester for the exciting event. Notable projects included the Ceramics’ dessert mugs, VA Comp’s zentangles and Photography’s nature landscapes.
To add a special flair of community outreach, NC partnered with Baker Elementary School. Young artists drew imaginative monsters that the high school artists breathed life into through sewing projects in the Applied Design class. A similar project in Ceramics resulted in colorful stoneware inspired by the minds of the elementary kids. This partnership displayed the beautiful connection between community and art, transforming kids’ fantasies into a tangible reality.
In a display of generosity and care for the community, the Ceramics class prepared over 30 handcrafted bowls for an auction. From this sale, 100% of the proceeds supported the Empty Bowls fundraiser, an international grassroots movement that fights hunger through the millions of dollars stemming from the support of artists with the sale of their bowls. After purchasing a lovingly crafted piece, participants filled their bowls with soup provided by NC’s culinary class. In only its second year at NC, the fundraiser raised $300 in an Empty Bowls initiative with Must Ministries.
“I love art because it gives me a way to express myself. I have weird ideas, and my teachers don’t judge me for the art I make. That’s why I feel so safe here, and I feel like I’m able to be myself in art class. [At the gallery,] every single person I saw was smiling. Everyone seemed so close, and I saw people striking up conversations out of nowhere. This event made it so people could come together over art, and I love that,” junior Ronin Corry said.
Ultimately, the night highlighted the beauty within the minds of high schoolers, demonstrating the importance of art in schools and communities. As the semester comes to a close and NC’s art program prepares to host the spring gallery night, countless high schoolers, NC families, elementary artists and local individuals can smile in satisfaction when remembering the endearing night.
