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Date: 12/21/2022
AGAWAM – The annual Agawam High School Winter Arts Festival returned on Dec. 8 following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students in National Arts Honors I and II, Drawing and Painting, Sculpture I, Digital Photography I, Studio Experience and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) classes participated in the event. They displayed drawings, paintings, sculptures, ceramics, digital photography, welding and wood crafts projects in the school cafeteria.
Four students – Emilia Barron, Lynn Jang, William Gamble and Gabby Shayda – were among more than 300 students from 15 art classes who showed their work at the public event. The enthusiastic artists told Reminder Publishing why they enjoy doing art projects and why art is a creative outlet for them.
Barron displayed a couple of different projects. However, she felt some of her previous projects weren’t as good as she felt they could have been. She said she felt rushed and didn’t spend enough time on them. For the festival, Barron decided to concentrate on one project that she could show along with her others.
“It’s an acrylic painting of a seascape showing a sunset that I did on a piece of wood from a tree trunk. It’s one of my favorite pieces so far. I like painting nature scenes and outdoor stuff on literally anything. It’s kind of challenging,” said the Arts Honors II student.
Barron works primarily with photos she either takes or finds on the internet. Because of her busy schedule, she usually works on her projects in art class.
“School is really the only time I have to do my art. My class is in the middle of the day, so it’s like a nice break for me,” she said.
The 18-year-old senior thought about pursuing art in college, but changed her mind. Instead, she wants to become forensic psychologist in the field of criminal justice.
“I’ll definitely keep art around as a hobby for the same reasons that I do it now,” said Barron, whose top choice is Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina.
Jang, an Art Honors II student, said she’s liked art ever since she was very little.
“I always said my favorite hobby is arts and crafts,” she said. “But I have less time for it now because of school. I’ve still found ways to pursue art – either when I can find time at home or as a project in art class.”
A senior, Jang said that her favorite form of art is either drawing or painting with acrylic: “I feel I’ve always done nice things with them. They also appeal to me because. I feel more in control and can manipulate the media. It seems to always turn out better than other mediums I use or have tried before.”
She considered going to a college for art, but ruled that out earlier this year. The 17-year-old plans to major instead in biomedical engineering and hopes to get into MIT.
“I will keep art as a hobby, because I still love it. But I want to go into biomedical engineering so I can use science and math,” she said.
While half of the art projects Gamble brought to the festival were sculpted pieces, a number of others were ones he either painted or drew on traditional or untraditional mediums, such as boxes or paper.
The Art Honors I student said he’s had an interest in art ever since he was 6 or 7. He usually sticks to drawing with pencil and paper.
“It’s the easiest to work with. I also generally have a good supply of all the stuff I need – paper, pencils and erasers. I can create finished pieces on paper the easiest without any struggles,” said Gamble.
He added that it’s just a natural way for him to work: “I do something quick, and then finish it up. If I like it, I like it. If I don’t, I don’t. It’s just a quick drawing.”
Over the years, the 16-year-old junior said his artistic talent has evolved.
“I’ve improved in a lot of places overall,” he said. “My sense of color, my line work. Generally, my latest projects are much more refined.”
Gamble wants to attend Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, so he can use his drawing skills to pursue a career in 2D animation. He explained that 2D animation uses traditionally drawn visuals, mostly for online programming.
Shayda brought a collection of art she’s been working on in class since the beginning of the school year.
“Some of it I like more than others. I’ve just improved so much. One of my favorite pieces is a painting of a collection of fruit,” said the Arts Honors II senior.
She explained that she spent a couple hours each day for a week on the acrylic painting she created on a piece of Masonite. It became her pet project.
“I like doing acrylic painting – I feel like I’m best at it. I can blend it easier than other paints.”
The 17-year-old considered majoring in art in college, but switched to biology. She plans to minor in art and has applied to UMass-Amherst and Boston University.
“Art for me is a way to express myself. I really like science and music, so, I try to incorporate those into my artwork. I see art as a hobby – something to help me relax and de-stress.”
The evening event also spotlighted students in the performing arts who put on a holiday concert in the auditorium. The festival began in 2003 when the art and music departments at the high school took what had been just a holiday concert and turned it into a celebration of both visual and performing arts.