Fiona Riley ‘22
The artwork of EA students now adorns the Head of School’s office in the Campus Center. T.J. Locke, with the help of the art department and Assistant to the Head of School Donna Erwin, created the gallery this month. The gallery currently houses artwork from high school students and will hopefully be expanded to include work from all the Middle and Lower Schools as well.
When asked what inspired this project, Locke said, “I have always wanted my office to be filled with joy and for it to be an uplifting experience. The best way to do this is by celebrating students and I am around the art classes all the time and inspired by it.” Arts Department Chair David Sigel added, “As teachers it is important to celebrate students. It is always nice to show the students that our educators are always looking to best serve our students and understand what they are passionate about.”
The process of choosing the pieces for the gallery was completely randomized. Sigel notes, “I didn’t really want to be part of the picking of it. I wanted Dr. Locke and Mrs. Erwin to pick so I had them come out to the hallway and select what they wanted.” Locke adds, I was very impressed and curious to hear each artist’s story. It was completely random and meant to be a way to honor the artists who were chosen.” Although only a few artists were chosen for this first round, the hope is that the gallery will continue to grow to be filled with work from many different artists.
This project highlights the importance of giving students a creative outlet to express themselves as well as to explain their reasoning behind their creations. Upper School Photography teacher Ellen Erikson commented, “I think that it has been a really awesome thing to have a gallery that displays the artwork of students as you first walk in. Because it is one of the first things you see when entering Locke’s office, an appreciation for the arts is shown. Locke added to this, noting that, “we honor sports in a rather public way and should continue to praise other pursuits in a similar manner such as the arts.”
Erikson thinks this venue for the student artists is significant noting, “I think that more so than even being in the hallways where people just walk past it, by having it in the room it shows the importance of showing student artwork. It also allows for a one-on-one moment of reflection and praising the artists.” Sigel echoed the latter part of this claim, noting that “an exhibit like this allows people to take in the art individually and with care.”
When asked for his future plans for the gallery, Locke stated, “I would like to update the pieces as frequently as possible and expand the students involved to include lower school.” So far Locke is very pleased with the outcome of the project, continuing, “art is a great way to honor students and helps me develop meaningful relationships with them.”