NEWS

Cranston West student artists celebrated at local exhibition

Posted 4/19/22

By STEPHANIE BERNABA

On April 6, Cranston High School West’s Advanced Art Honors students displayed and celebrated projects they created remotely the previous spring. The exhibition took …

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NEWS

Cranston West student artists celebrated at local exhibition

Posted

By STEPHANIE BERNABA

On April 6, Cranston High School West’s Advanced Art Honors students displayed and celebrated projects they created remotely the previous spring. The exhibition took place at Frame It RI and was attended by Cranston West students, families, faculty and members of the community.

Paul Carpentier assigned a fully remote art project based on a ‘looking glass’ theme. He requested that his artists create reflections of themselves seven months in the future, in consideration of the world’s recent dramatic shift from Covid.

“The students ranged from grades 10 through 12, which made it quite interesting,” said Carpentier, noting that at the time of the project, four of his students were preparing to graduate. Carpentier did not require students to portray themselves with masks on and allowed them to create their works using whichever media they preferred.

Carpentier had his artists create thumbnail sketches of their works throughout the process, and he asked each to write down their thoughts after the project’s completion.

After months of delays, Carpentier decided that due to their ‘tender’ nature, his students’ works should be shared in a proper exhibition space and began searching for a venue.

Maria Maccarone Smith, West alum and owner of Frame It RI, agreed to host, explaining she was happy to share Cranston West students’ work.

The art pieces were displayed throughout the shop, with information about each piece, as well as follow-up reflections provided by the artists who were still reachable.

Now junior Kerion Flynn, who created a piece called “Foresight,” portrayed himself inside a crystal ball, wearing a mask and surrounded by flashes of electricity. He created his piece with acrylic paints on canvas.

“It’s just mainly how I felt during Covid,” Flynn explained. “Covid was so long and tiresome.”

Junior Giovanni Torres created a piece called “Worst-Case Scenario,” which he explained, reminded us of all the things that could go wrong in seven months. Torres said that, though he had more freedom and was able to travel to Florida twice since creating his piece, he still felt sadness and concern over the war in Ukraine.

Torres has since moved on to Introduction to 3D Design but was proud to be able to share his work, created on drawing paper with graphite pencil, with peers, faculty and other guests.

“These kids were going through a lot,” Carpentier said. “And we, as teachers, were also going through a lot.” Carpentier emphasized that the quality of work created during this project was poignant and  deserved to be shared with a wider audience.

Though he had originally hoped to display the pieces during March, which is the national observance of Youth Art Month, he was equally excited once he secured a date in April, where students could celebrate their work in person with supporters and loved ones

art honors, art

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