On the warm spring evening of May 9, students and parents flocked to Allen Hall to attend what a handful of artists work towards all year long: the Upper School Art Show. The show promised to be a wonderful time for all members of the Hackley community, with senior Josh Greenzeig and juniors Jackson Corrigan and Jamie Leonard’s musical talents complementing the art.

“It was so cool to experience and be a part of the fusion of the two different kinds of arts, in the combination of music and studio art,” Jackson said about their two-hour set.

The show featured works from all Upper School Art classes, from Architecture and Foundations of Photo to Advanced 3D Art and the Photography major.

Although the show displayed work from the general portfolios of AP Studio Art Major students, art by underclassmen stood out to many. “I was amazed by the level of talent in the work the sophomores produced. A lot of it was as good as the AP art,” junior Kristen Bringsjord said after attending the opening ceremony. “As the year had been going, I’d only seen bits and pieces of other projects, but getting to see all the work come together in the art show was really cool,” sophomore Demetra Yancopoulos said.

Many were in awe of the sophomore animal drawings, which are often regarded as the defining project of the Intermediate Studio Art classes. The drawings are charcoal on paper and require months of diligent planning and detailed work. Each piece is unique and equally breathtaking. Demetra’s Tyrannosaurus Rex (pictured above) is a fine example of the sophomores’ artistic quality and excellence. Art teacher Gregory Cice says his son is trying to convince him to buy the piece.

Sophomore Lucas Reeber, a student in Mark Green’s Intermediate Studio Art Major, worked on his stunning self-portrait for only a month. After visiting the opening ceremony with his parents, Lucas said, “I thought it was cool to see work from a variety of different grades as it allowed me to notice a progression in skill and knowledge of art.”

Mr. Cice thought the show was fantastic this year. “What I love about the Upper School show is that everything is all mixed together so you have Foundations freshmen next to AP work next to Studio work so you see a wonderful cross-section of Upper School art,” he said.

“You get to see some of the younger students who are just beginning to build confidence in their craft hanging right next to accomplished, confident seniors,” Mr. Cice added. “I was most amazed by the high caliber and phenomenal quality of the art.”

“It seems that every year I am amazed with the level and quality of the work that somehow gets better. It’s as if each year the students raise the bar a little bit higher and then they reach it,” Mr. Cice said.