Gallery • 9 Photos

Jonny Ratner

A young boy points at a painting on display which has caught his attention.

Friends, family and art lovers stopped by what is usually the wrestling gym, but is temporarily transformed into an art gallery, to admire the work of this year’s art students on May 14.

The annual art show, which had its best turnout ever for opening night, will be shown until May 24 and features work from all five disciplines offered at Algonquin: painting, drawing, 3-D arts, photography and digital arts.

“It’s so much work to hang the [art for the] show, to collect the work all year and to ask the kids to be without their work,” Fine and Performing Arts teacher Michelle Sheppard said. “To see so many people come in and enjoy it is so fulfilling. It’s like living the dream, just living the art teacher dream.”

During the art show’s opening night, they announced the National Art Honors Society’s new inductees. This was the first year awards were given out at the event as well.

“I’m super psyched because this is the first time we’ve [given out awards], so we were really nervous,” Sheppard said after the ceremony went smoothly. “We knew [we] couldn’t plan everything and make it perfect.”

Twenty awards were given out in 15 different categories based on emerging artists, originality, technique, series/portfolio and showcases. Artists from the community and local elementary school art teachers judged the work of the students.

Many of the students feel as if the art show brings the school together.

“Every year the art show kinda just gives me chills because I’m just proud of the school itself,” senior and National Art Honor Society president Leah Grinblatas said.

“I love it because you can see people coming in throughout the day whether they do sports, drama, good at math, science, whatever their thing is, they all come to the art show,” senior Faith Cosentino said. “Everybody enjoys it.”

This year Cosentino and senior Sophia Walker were inducted into the National Art Honor Society. In order to be inducted into the honor society, Cosentino and Walker started a paint night to accomplish the goal of developing a new way to bring more art to Algonquin.

“I honestly had a great time,” Cosentino said. “I actually felt like I brought more arts to the community.”

Through the art show, light is shedded on the students’ hard work from throughout the year in a way which brings it all together.

“I think a lot of time a lot of the art that goes on here is underrated or goes unnoticed, and I think this is the one time of year that it’s all together and it’s just really cool to see it,” Grinblatas said.