A number of years ago, North Rose-Wolcott High School added an art gallery to the building as a way to better display the student’s artwork to the community. Kelley Allen, an art teacher at the high school, said that it has been a welcome upgrade of what they previously had. The Times of Wayne County reached out to Allen on Thursday to find out more about the gallery.
Where did the idea for the gallery come from?
Allen: When they were doing the capital project, the teacher at the time, Deborah Teska, brought it to [the school’s] attention as a possibility, along with the large display case that we have in the foyer, as kind of an inviting place to get the community involved, so that’s where it came from.
When was that?
I want to say it was around 2006, but I’m not really sure.
What kind of work is displayed and is there usually a theme involved?
We host an alumni exhibit every September, two professional exhibits each year. Both the alumni and the professional exhibits are organized through Deborah Teska volunteering countless hours. We do two themed high school exhibits, one AP Studio Art exhibit, and the culminating event of NRW’s Festival of the Arts. Michelle Patterson, another high school art teacher, and I usually orchestrate the student exhibits with a ton of student help.
What has the response from the community been?
Outstanding. We just had people in from the school district in Webster and that was the first thing they said was ‘Wow, it’s impressive to see all of this artwork, it’s nice that you have this space, what an asset to the school and the community.’ We’ve had an absolutely positive response.
How was the artwork displayed before the gallery was there?
We had a very small display case across from the Cafeteria, and that was it. It’s been a huge upgrade. [Before], we would only display the work once a year for the Festival of the Arts.
How much time and effort goes into installing an exhibit?
A lot, that’s why I didn’t have a minute yesterday. All of the classes are involved, and it’s awesome for students to see how much goes into putting a show together. They’re really proud of themselves afterward, seeing everything together. They see what is involved with the entire show.
We really encourage them to share their artwork. We send their work to Scholastics; we send it to RIT. We send their work everywhere, so it’s nice for them to see it here and to share it with the community also. They can bring their parents, their grandparents and their friends to see what they’ve done.
How many pieces of artwork are typically displayed in an exhibit?
A student exhibit, I think right now there is 80 to 100 pieces. We have a show coming up on April 29, where we have two alumni artists. One happens to be photographic work, while the other is ceramic work. I’m not sure exactly how many pieces are coming in, but they have quite a bit.
Can you tell me about the current exhibit?
It is titled, “Text. What do you have to say?” The students had to incorporate text into their artwork. That’s students of all levels – studio in art, drawing and painting, photography, ceramics. All of the classes had to do it, just in a different way. Some students used watercolors; some students were using 35mm darkroom prints.
Do the students also design the layout of the gallery?
The students help with the layout. Usually, the advanced class and I go down and kind of figure out what we have, what space is available and what will look the best.
Do the students learn about museum work, such as conservation techniques?
We talk about it in class, especially at the advanced level. The students know because we send their work out to other places. We go to the Onondaga Community College exhibit, the Syracuse University gallery, so they see other galleries and how they go together.
Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
I will say that Deborah Teska still volunteers her time, and she still helps us to bring in the alumni for the two visiting shows. She really collaborates with us quite well and always asks for our input. She helps out a great deal. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know if we would be able to do as well as we do getting everything together. Her involvement has been vital.
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