In an effort to continually showcase Upper School student artwork, seniors Eesha Ampani and Kirsten Regan took the lead in curating an art gallery for the beginning of the school year focused solely on the summer creations of EA’s student-artists.
Aptly named Summer
"We got the idea for Summer Studio after talking with [Visual Art Department Chair] Mr. Sigel last May," Eesha explained. "We were talking about how we could bring light to the pieces that are created on the artist's own time in their solo studios."
Eesha and Kirsten brainstormed over the summer about how they could "take advantage of the empty wall space at the beginning of the school year before studio classes begin to display their works." From there, Summer Studio was born, and the curating of pieces began.
In total, they received 39 submissions: 29 visual art pieces, seven performance pieces, and three literary pieces. "I think all the pieces in the Coote Honor Hall show a wide variety of styles and subjects that have been really interesting to view, especially alongside each other," Eesha said. "I’m also glad we were able to hang the pieces in Coote Honor Hall because it helps make the space more exciting and personal to EA. Since a lot of Upper School students like to sit in there anyway, it is also a natural place for students to view the pieces."
While no discussions have been had yet about making the Summer Studio a yearly event, Eesha and Kirsten think it is certainly a possibility. "Many student-artists engage in their craft over the summer, so it definitely could be an annual undertaking," Eesha said. "In the future, I think it would be beneficial to have a team of curators from multiple grades in order to outreach more effectively about this opportunity." Beyond the Summer Studio, student artists also have the opportunity to submit pieces created outside of the classroom for the annual Dora Khayatt competition.
"These opportunities to showcase the talents of our student artists are important because it offers a platform for their works and expression to be seen and heard by others," Eesha explained. "They serve as motivation to student-artists after seeing the support they have from the EA community, inspire other artists to also share their work, and help to spark conversations between artists, peers, and other community members."
"Eesha and Kirsten are two passionate artists and creative students," said Visual Art Department Chair David Sigel. "Their orchestrated and organized vision has been an excellent way to showcase the talented outside work of our student artists, and I hope it's something we can continue in the future." See more photos.