Studio Art Advanced fosters a diverse creation of artwork!

In the back left corner of one of the Emery art classrooms, surrounded by an assortment of canvasses, brushes, and multimedia supplies, stands a large, black filing cabinet. Its sides are dented and smudged with streaks of paint, but what first catches the eye are the metal labels on each drawer displaying the names of all current Studio Art Advanced students. Emery Weiner seniors Ember Garza, Madison Cox, Blaike Saikin, Nina Teichman and juniors Kate Burke and Hadar Sagiv are currently enrolled.

Taught by Upper School Visual Arts Teacher Paige Moore this course serves as the culmination of many years of art classes at Emery. While Emery offers everything from Art I to Studio Art Advanced, this class specifically focuses on the assembly of an individualized artistic portfolio. Students create a variety of pieces throughout the year that reflect an exploration of a personal theme, ending in a submission of artwork to College Board for AP review, awarding students with potential college credits, just like other AP courses. Every artist is on their own journey and the class allows students to individualize the content to fit their style and process.

Burke was introduced to art at Emery in sixth grade after realizing that “access to the arts was going to be important for the school [she] would choose for middle and high school.” For Burke, because Emery “offered pretty incredible access to art classes and materials, [she] chose to come.” In relation to her AP portfolio, Burke shares it is a process of “trial and error” as she “questions the fleeting qualities of certain periods of time and life, such as childhood, of perception, and of modern-day living.”

For Sagiv, art has always been an essential part of life. After moving between countries, she reveals that it became a constant that grounded her. After coming to Emery, Sagiv became more involved in all aspects of art, including digital imaging and the school’s literary magazine, FINEprint. She reveals that because of the professional and supportive atmosphere at Emery, “art became something [she] could develop seriously and share with others.” Encouraged by the strong sense of community, she explores themes of Jewish identity and generational trauma throughout her AP portfolio. After researching her great-grandmother’s legacy as a Holocaust survivor, Sagiv realized art had the power to not just represent pain but provide healing and memory for a community. 

For Teichman, art has also always been closely intertwined with life. After becoming involved with art in preschool, she used art to explore and explain her experience with womanhood. Her AP portfolio depicts womanhood and what women are expected to do by society. Sometimes utilising non-traditional 3D techniques, Teichman reveals the power art has not just for aesthetics but empowerment.

Garza also reveals art is more than aesthetics, using art as a method of both visual entertainment and social commentary regarding animal habitat loss and extinction. Exploring humanity’s part in preservation and the changing natural world, Garza uses their distinct artistic style to reveal the beauty of endangered animals. According to Garza, Studio Art Advanced has given them the confidence to pursue art professionally.

Similar to Burke, Saikin got involved with art at Emery in sixth grade and enjoys the freedom he has in class to explore different directions and mediums in artwork, while still receiving guidance and support from Moore. While artwork has only been something he explored through classes at Emery and does not wish to pursue professionally, he reveals that art is always part of someone’s life. “I still want to draw and paint…[it] feels really good to see it come together and share it with the community,” he remarked.

After receiving recognition for her art in eighth grade, Cox decided to continue her art journey in the Upper School. Her AP portfolio explores different aspects of her life and the weight of leaving and moving. While the AP submission date marks the official end of this class, Cox believes that she will “always be making art…[it is] not going to be something that ever really leaves [her] life.”   

In addition to developing AP portfolios, some students had the opportunity to host a gallery outside of Emery. Put on in a gallery near Rice Village, students Cox, Burke, and Sagiv arranged everything from designing ways to display artwork to engaging with community members. This gallery not only challenged students logistically, but encouraged them to share art with the community, something Cox found challenging but overwhelmingly rewarding.

Overall, Studio Art Advanced is an opportunity that students can make their own. It provides support and encouragement from the moment students embark on their journey as artists to when they put their brushes down, showcasing art’s ability to be something everyone can experience.