Lancers have been busy working for weeks, even years, to present their compositions in the annual student art show. From March 13 to March 17, students’ artwork will be shown in the Performing Arts Center’s foyer. The featured works consists of art from the Ceramics, Art Media, Drawing, AP Art, Photography 1, Photography 2 and AP Photography classes.
Photography teacher Lisa Ravitch noted there are many works from students, with nearly 200 individual student submissions, but several students have multiple works on display.
Students have worked hard in preparing their pieces for the show, some submitting pieces they have worked on for the past year. Senior Kevin Hagedorn created many surrealistic works over the past two years.
“Some of the art that’s been put up took me from last year to do,” Hagedorn said. “I just chose some of my favorites and saw if they could fit.”

In Holly Smith’s ceramics class, senior Nolan Frederickson used the medium to create an ice cream sundae.
He spent three weeks creating the piece, dedicating two weeks to actually making it, and another week painting it. It was a newfound challenge for him — having to make the ice cream look as realistic as possible created the task of detailing the texture of the ice cream, whipped cream, and cherry through shaping the clay.
While preparing their artwork, some of the artists had trouble in the process of creating their submissions. Seniors Cole Whiteman and Allie Thompson, who found themselves not dedicating the time to finish the pieces right after starting them, chose to come back to it after taking a break.
“I start a lot of drawings and then it takes so long that I get so sick of them,” Whiteman said. “[After placing them on hold], I come back to the ones I actually like and finally finish them.”
Others have trouble starting out drawings and dedicating enough time to their work.
“I take way too long to start a drawing,” Thompson said. “I should draw more, especially in this class, but I take too long of breaks.”
Some artists found difficulty in discovering what materials would fit their art the best, especially those who have used more than one method to convey their message.

“I just like how [art] can be really anything you want it to be when you look at it,” Hagedorn said. “I definitely have trouble figuring out what media I’m going to do art pieces in, so it always takes me a while to figure that out.
Even with the difficulty the artists face in preparations, the finished products are worth the effort.
“It is always a busy and time consuming process that is completed with the labor of love,” said Ravitch. “The teachers and students…all do this hard work to allow for a space for students’ work to be shared and experienced.”
Many of the artists find that having their art featured allows for an opportunity for them to express themselves. The art program allows for a unique opportunity to create what they like and grow in their artistic abilities.
“My favorite thing about ceramics is how creative I can be,” Frederickson said. “The clay can become anything I want it to be.”