Student Art Show Exhibits Myriad Mediums

Ceramics, Form II Design, Photography, Woodworking, and Conceptual Physics classes will be showcasing their work through February 1 in the Landau Gallery. The group exhibition reflects the photography, art, design, and fine craft of more than 50 students.

Photography - Mr. Duarte

The photography on display represents a cross section of assignments from Photo 1. The course is taught using 35mm black-and-white film and prints are created using a gelatin silver process. “It is a complete hands on, analog process.” says Mr. Duarte.

In addition, the work of two Advanced Photo students, Abe Tolkoff and Charles Wells, is represented in booklet format. In this course, the boys focus on a personal narrative of their choice and work toward a cohesive body of work. Their projects culminate in a handmade photo book, which is printed in our lab and hand stitched by the students. “It represents a continuation of a long-standing tradition of photographers making artist books,” says Mr. Duarte.

Woodworking - Mr. Kaplan
In Mr. Kaplan’s Woodworking class, the students create a mahogany and cherry dovetail box with hand carved tops. Students learn a variety of hand-tool techniques using traditional tools to make the elaborate projects. Japanese pull saws and chisels sharpened by the students are used extensively to make the intricate joinery. In the finishing touches, the boys learn about sanding, applying an oil-based finish and how to install mortise-style hinges. “It's thrilling to see students develop skills and learn about craftsmanship in the one semester class,” says Mr. Kaplan, Chair of the Art Department.

Five students in the Advanced Woodworking class completed tables.The boys spent seven weeks designing, sketching, and learning about traditional structural wood joints prior to using the woodshop machinery. Starting from rough lumber, students learned to mill stock to the desired dimension. This year four of the tables are made from cherry and one from mahogany. The mahogany table has turned legs, which the student created using the lathe. “It was an impressive semester,” says Mr. Kaplan, adding that “some of the advance students also found time to make cutting boards, cheese boards, ice cream scoops, and a baseball bat.”

Ceramics - Mrs. Kaplan

Beginning Ceramics covers a wide range of techniques including hand building, slab work, and throwing using the pottery wheel. Projects are assigned with the intent to build on skills to develop independence in the studio. The final project is chosen by each student to explore a technique they would like to further develop skills and independence.

Advanced Ceramics is driven by the student's exploration of ideas with in-depth personal instruction. Each of the three students develops work in an area of interest with a focus on the pottery wheel or hand building. Through this exploration of a specific area of concentration, each student develops a body of work with a personal voice.

Conceptual Physics - Mr. Trautz

The students in Mr. Trautz’s Conceptual Physics class spent the semester learning Newtonian Physics and kinematics while working on an "Applied Physics & Design" project. The boys designed traditional wooden toboggans using CAD (Computer Aided Design) software, tested their design in a virtual wind tunnel by importing their CAD drawings, prototyped the designs on the MakerBot 3D printers  and then completed a full-scale build. During the full scale build, the boys were tasked with steam bending the slats of wood made of Green Ash. The students will be taking the toboggans to the Camden Snow Bowl later this month to test their designs on the 70 foot tall and 400 foot long Jack Williams Toboggan Chute where they will likely approach speeds of up to 40 mph.

Form II Design

Another class represented in the show is Form II Design. The class meets two afternoons a week for a third of the year and introduces students to principles in design through architecture. Fundamental investigations of sustainability and energy conservation in the built environment lead to having students design a 3,000 square foot single family home. Students team up and sketch floor plans before learning how to precisely scale the drawings and make an accurate 1/4" = 1' model. Adjacency issues, space requirements, and aesthetics are part of every conversation. The models, with removable roofs, are displayed in the art show.

Watch the highlights here.