From Jan. 22 through Feb. 1, Parkway West High holds one of the two biggest art shows in the Parkway West region, the other being at Queeny Park. The art show brings talented artists, friends, and families together for a memorable night filled with pieces of art.   

All schools in the West region, including schools that feed into West High — Henry Elementary, Mason Ridge Elementary, Claymont and West Middle — participated in the art show. Pieces were chosen by teachers for many characteristics based on the individual pieces and the students, which were then transferred up to the high school to be displayed in the foyers. On Thursday, Jan. 25, the reception was open from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., allowing students from all schools to bring their friends and families to view the talents of the various student bodies.

The art show sports a large variety of pieces across all of the art classes offered. The display cases are filled with student work and paintings pinned up on the walls. In addition, display boards are assorted in the art foyer and the front foyer, organized by grade and school. The system in which art pieces are chosen varies based on the assignment rubric and the student.

“When it comes to the rubric, students [who] scored the highest [are usually chosen], but it doesn’t necessarily mean that [if] you’re getting good grades, all of your projects are picked,” art teacher Kat Briggs said. “I also try to do a wider array. Sometimes I choose art to reflect student efforts so some students who have shown growth over the semester [can] have their piece [shown]. It’s a mix of the principles and the design and the technique that’s put in all the artwork [while] also trying to make it a diverse representation [of] skills.” 

As one of the biggest art shows of the year, the art department uses this annual showcase to expand its reach and show the community what art has to offer. Exhibiting work made by fellow students may encourage some to potentially sign up for art classes in the future. 

“At the beginning of the spring semester, some students that don’t normally take our classes are like ‘wow’, and can look around,” Briggs said. “It’s also advocacy for art classes. I think that any time that we can advocate for the arts here at the school — [even in] the displays that are going on all year long — is a great way to emphasize creativity and make it really big.” 

For many, art is an outlet and allows artists to be seen. It also allows artists to see other art from different schools and broaden their ideas toward their own creativity. Sophomore Dhiya Prasanna had a handful of art pieces featured in the art show this year. 

“I was really happy that people could see [my art] and what I do, and it makes me proud because it allows them to see an expression of myself and what my mentality is at that moment,” Prasanna said. “It’s important to have an art show because elementary school and middle school art can get recognition from older people, which provides some inspiration [for those kids] to keep going. You can pick up some ideas from a piece and build on it.”

Students find the art show as a good opportunity for others to see their hard work over the semester and to celebrate their successes with friends and family. The ability to bring people to the school to share a common liking for the arts is important to the artists of West.

“I think a lot of the reason why I do art is for it to be seen,” sophomore and showcased artist Liora Hoi said. “Having that wider reach the art show gives is nice. Even if people walking by don’t know who I am or don’t know anything about me, if they look at [my art] for a second and go ‘Hey, that’s pretty interesting,’ then I think I’ve achieved my goal.”