WCAC is Physically Closed but Virtually Open!

First Semester Artwork by
Students in Williamsburg Area High Schools

Featuring Sixty-six pieces of artwork submitted by
students from the four Williamsburg Area Public High Schools.

View the Artwork for:
Bruton High School  |  Jamestown High School
Lafayette High School  |  Warhill High School

The Annual High School Student Show has always been one of our best-attended shows, but we are still unable to re-open safely due to ongoing ramifications of Covid-19. Therefore, we are offering the Annual Student Show in two phases. The first phase includes artwork from the first semester. We'll offer a second Virtual Show toward the end of the Spring semester to showcase their progress.

Each school was asked to provide a brief statement about teaching art in the time of COVID. The following are their comments/responses to that request:

Jamestown High School

Teaching art remotely has been a mix of highs and lows and everything in between. It has been difficult to try to build the classroom dynamics that usually happen in the building. The friendly interaction that students, teachers and classes had in person pushed, challenged, and inspired each other. It is not the same over a zoom call. The content can be taught through examples, videos, live demo's, online progress checks and sharing of digital images, but working independently requires a lot more self-motivation from the student and not all students have art as a priority. There are many moments of joy and sincere ’Oh wow!’s as many students produce work that is technically strong, conceptually deep or a mix of both. We teach because we love art. We continue to try using all the tools we can to help students create work that is important to them.

Lafayette High School

All Lafayette High School students have been learning remotely since mid-March of 2020. As we near the one-year mark in measuring time that students have been away from art rooms, we are proud to say that even though there have been many things during this time that students have missed out on, the opportunity to be creative has not been cancelled.

Lafayette teachers have worked hard to assemble and distribute kits of art supplies to all of our art students – yes, even clay and ceramic tools. As teachers, going into this year, we knew that it would be different and that our approach and expectations should be different. In our classes, we are focusing heavily on creative process and developing technique. Final products have become less important in this approach, and therefore, finished artworks are smaller than they would normally be. Critiques take place online, instead of in person, but feedback is still freely exchanged. In art classes students, have had the opportunity to continue to "get their hands dirty" and creatively engage in making things that are not on the computer. The clay pieces may not be glazed, and the paintings may not be on stretched canvases, but the quality of work is a testament to our students' tremendous resilience and adaptability in the face of these challenging times. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to celebrate their work.

Warhill High School

Warhill high school has been working virtually with students since the start of the school year in September.

Students signed up for art classes were given an art kit that was specific to the classes they were taking. Art kits gave students the basic materials needed for the class. Courses such as Material Studies also gave students the opportunity to use found objects from within their homes.
 
Art teachers have been able to follow most of the normal curriculum with some modifications depending on their needs. The variety of materials, size of projects and number of show ready artworks are among the changes we have had to make. We have chosen to spend more time on practicing techniques and understanding process in the making of artworks. The largest negative impact has been the ability to give the usual amount of feedback to students and the slow speed in which we have been able to work due to the virtual environment.

Much of the work you see has been done in the sketchbook given to the student in their kit. Students turn all their planning, practice, experimentation and final work.

Most all of the students have been absolutely amazing throughout this difficult time. Students, for the most part, have been very positive and mature. I think this has helped many to grow in their ability to take charge of their own learning. We, of course have been there for them the whole way.

Bruton High School

Bruton took a somewhat different approach – Students were asked to answer this question:
"During this pandemic what role has art played in your life?  Explain any ups and downs."

Penn Brooks
I have been drawing a lot less than when I was around people. It was always a thing to entertain and multitask when I had free time but wasn't off the hook yet. However, I have also been painting a lot more and developing my style there too. I painted on clothes, cardboard, dressers, book bags, anything you could think of. Recently I’ve been trying to get back into drawing so that I still can do it when I need to or if I want to but I haven’t seen as much inspiration since the lockdown. The pandemic seems to be draining me of my inspiration and ideas.

Angel Burton
During Covid, it’s been hard to make stuff. Time isn’t an issue because QUARANTINE but without being able to get out as much, I just don’t get as inspired as I once did. I also think that it was easier to do art at school because at home it’s LOUD and at school I can get feedback on my art and stuff while I’m making it.

Diana Chalkley
While in this pandemic, I haven’t really been trying too much to create art. It’s been hard to have the motivation to make something when you’ve just been inside for months, basically doing nothing. I only started creating more because it was a part of my school work and it was a requirement. I eventually started to realize that creating art is what I love to do. This past month I told myself that I’m just going to have to do it. Once I did start creating again, all of my love for it came back and I finally remembered why I create in the first place.  

Caleb Lee
During this pandemic, art has played a large role in my life because it is something that was largely unaffected by the changes due to Covid. Since most of my photos are of natural things or structure, my own photographic ideas stayed relatively constant. The ability to take them was also preserved, so in the largest way, it stayed the same. However, the dynamic was quite different. Even though I don’t necessarily always take photos of people, there are many instances that they do appear in my pieces. So, the lack of people was a bit of an odd side of the changes made. I also spent a lot of time learning how to use the more advanced tools of Photoshop, as I had a lot more time to sit down and read/watch videos on how to use them.

Eli Smith
Visual art has played a large role in my life during this pandemic. I’ve spent a lot of it outdoors, taking photographs in nature as a way of getting out of the house that’s also away from people. Without access to photoshop in school, I’ve honed my skills to take photos that need no editing, learning to intimately know every function of my camera and use them to create quality raw photos. Using my extra time to further my artistic pursuits has allowed me to both spend more time outdoors and improve my skills.

Daizjah Whiting
I’ve had more time to do artwork, I just haven’t felt in the mood to actually get that many done. if I am in a mood to create more art, that feeling only last for 2-3days and won’t be back until around 2 weeks later. So I guess the time where I am actually creating art I enjoy it and somewhat use it as an escape for a while and create as much as I can before that feeling is gone.

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