Battle Mountain students to showcase works at The Bookworm gallery
16 AP art students will be displaying their portfolios and artist statements Friday
Battle Mountain High School AP art students will be showcasing their personal portfolios of work from the past school year from 4-6 p.m. Friday at the Bookworm Gallery space in Edwards. All 16 students will be displaying their works, and most will be present to interact with viewers in the gallery.
Max Devito is the AP art teacher at Battle Mountain, and she said that one of the key goals of the class is to push students to experiment with their work and go deeper into the concepts their art speaks to.
“The kids really went for it, and were vulnerable in what they explored,” Devito said. “Like, really personal, and really admitting things this year that they hadn’t. There’s also a lot of self identity, a common theme. They really jumped into that and weren’t afraid.”
The AP-level class is largely self-led, involving long periods of studio time with regular peer-to-peer and teacher-led critiques. In developing their portfolios, each of the students begins creating art in whichever medium they choose, and gradually develops a cohesive concept over the course of the class.
Student Gracie Roberts used her work to investigate how oppressed gender identities have responded to discrimination throughout history. Piper Scherr made fairy house sculptures out of natural and man-made materials that “signify what humans have lost and gained in our relationship with the world, nature, and each other.”
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Kyla Wolffe said that her portfolio explores the correlation between emotions, elements and color.
“Over time, I began to realize that my pieces were a reflection of my own emotions,” Wolffe said. “The recurring themes of water and cooler color pallets reflected what I was going through.”
The works shown at the Bookworm Gallery will include an artist statement that explains the intention of the artist and the body of work they are presenting.
The showcase is free and open to the public. Devito encourages all interested community members to attend, but advises that the display will contain adult level content. She said there are no limitations in her classroom when it comes to what topics and ideas students want to pursue, resulting in some works that involve nudity, offensive gestures and strong visual expressions that may be inappropriate for children.
“The whole class really became that vulnerable but comfortable environment, that everybody really shared out, and it’s really cool to honor that with a show,” Devito said. “A lot of them are really nervous to show to the public, but that’s part of being an artist, and I’m excited for them to actually share it out with everybody.”