Three-dimensional photographic sculptures, an array of self-portraits and still-life drawings, and hand-joined wooden boxes are among the student artwork on display at George School until Friday, January 29, 2010. Exhibited in Main Lobby, Walton Center, and the Class of 1956 Gallery at the new Learning Commons and Mollie Dodd Anderson Library, the work highlights the skills that students have developed in George School’s Advanced Placement (AP) Alternative Photographic Processes, AP Digital Imaging, Painting and Drawing, Advanced Painting and Drawing, Woodworking and Design, and Portfolio Preparation classes.

Students in Danielle Picard-Sheehan’s AP Alternative Photographic Processes each chose an idea to express metaphorically through a three-dimensional photographic sculpture. The results, on view in Walton Center, reflect a variety of backgrounds and interests.

Tony Gao, a senior from Shanghai, China, photographed children playing outdoors in Zhongba village, an area badly damaged in the May 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, China. He printed the images on transparent film and placed them over the door and window openings of a small wooden house. “I chose a wooden house as the sculpture to express the idea that ‘we are all under one roof, and we are always willing to reach out our hands for the victims,’” explained Tony, who has done service work in Zhongba village three times, including one trip this past summer alongside participants in George School’s Global Service Program.

For the same assignment, Xina Graham-Vannais, a junior from Newtown, Pennsylvania, devised a sculpture about the interconnections between people. She mounted a silhouette of herself, cut in black matte board, onto a light box. The silhouette is filled with a black-and-white photographic montage of people who have had an important impact on her life. When the light box is lit, it illuminates the silhouette. Xina said, “I wanted to convey that, even though the people you meet have an effect on you, your inner light that shines out is what really brings to life what you have gained from those people.” The silhouette provides a connection to Xina’s Quaker heritage; early Quakers favored the simplicity of silhouettes over portraits.

Sam Popkin, a junior from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, said that for his sculpture, “I decided to focus on the idea of prayers through photography.” Composed of photographs that he took in Israel, his piece features two large images mounted on thick material so that they stand out when hung against the wall. One of the photographs shows Israeli soldiers, while the other shows the Western Wall in Israel. “The Wall is considered the holiest place for a Jew to be and pray,” Sam noted. The large photographs are surrounded by a pattern of two other images—candles and a Torah—printed on small pieces of paper. “I wanted to try to capture the patriotism, faith, and beliefs of Judaism in Israel through my pictures,” Sam said.

Through projects like the sculpture, students in AP Alternative Photographic Processes refine their technical photography skills, learn experimental techniques ranging from historic and antique processes to cutting-edge digital imaging, and critique each other’s work for aesthetic, conceptual, and theoretical concerns.

Students in Portfolio Preparation—a class taught by Arts Department Head Pam Grumbach—likewise honed their skills and expressed ideas through work that is displayed in Walton Center. Ann Lemmo, a senior in the class from Holland, Pennsylvania, said that among the work she is exhibiting in the show, her favorite piece is a color pastel drawing of two birds, each held by a human hand. In the course of creating this drawing, Ann said, “I learned about using different techniques of sketching to express shadow and highlights without blending.”

Another student in Portfolio Preparation, Andrew Seabrook, contributed a paper relief sculpture entitled “Faces in a Crowd” to the exhibit. The piece includes eight faces, one of which is alone in a corner. “The sculpture was intended to be a representation of how certain people are sometimes viewed as outsiders,” explained Andrew, a senior from Woodstown, New Jersey. “However, while creating this piece that some of my friends also helped me make, I found myself more enthralled by the group of faces rather than the one that stands alone in the corner.” Andrew attributes the change in his focus to the fact that he no longer thinks of himself as an outsider, but as someone who has found his home. “The face in the corner is just another lost adolescent soul waiting to find his home,” he said.

Each student in Portfolio Preparation pursues self-directed projects with the goal of developing a portfolio of work for college application and for exhibition at George School. Students can choose to take the course towards AP or International Baccalaureate (IB) credit. Ann shared, “I chose to take the Portfolio Preparation class because it is a great addition to my college application. I have also been taking painting and drawing for all four years of my George School career and wanted to be able to have my own space and time to work on my technique.”

In the course of producing small wooden boxes that are on view in Main Lobby, students in Carter Sio’s Woodworking and Design class gained knowledge of important methods. Carter explained, “All the joinery is done by hand, and the widths of the box sides are also dimensioned by hand using traditional hand woodworking tools. This box project teaches new woodworkers many of the skills they will need throughout their careers in the woodworking and design program.” Several students embellished their boxes with creative flourishes such as a handle made from a fire alarm, a pattern of lines carved into the surface of the wood, a tree branch that functions as a handle, and a game board carved into a lid. As with many George School arts disciplines, students can prepare for an IB exam by taking at least two years of woodworking and design.

Also as part of the current exhibit, still-life pencil drawings, watercolor paintings, and self-portraits in a variety of media are displayed in Main Lobby. These pieces are a product of Pam’s Painting and Drawing and Advanced Painting and Drawing classes. In addition, the exhibit includes photo essay books and posters by Danielle’s AP Digital Imaging class. These are located in the Class of 1956 Gallery at the new Learning Commons and Mollie Dodd Anderson Library.

The show of student work is one of seven exhibitions organized by the George School Arts Department during the 2009-10 year. The Arts Department offers classes in visual and performing arts, including photography, digital imaging, video production, woodworking and design, communication design, painting and drawing, ceramics, stagecraft, theater arts, theater performance, musical theater, dance, vocal and instrumental performance, and music theory, with Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate course options.

For more information about the arts at George School, and a complete schedule of exhibitions, visit http://www.georgeschool.org/arts.

About George School
Founded in 1893 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), George School, a rigorous coed boarding and day school for grades nine through twelve, educates students from twenty-one states, thirty-four foreign countries, and a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds. Through its commitment to diversity and the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and peacemaking, George School inspires students to be led by their own truths while respecting and appreciating opinions and beliefs different from their own. George School was one of the first schools in the United States to implement an International Baccalaureate diploma program. For information about admission, please call 215.579.6547 or visit http://www.georgeschool.org.