On Thursday, Nov. 7, the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery held a reception for its new exhibit. The Regional High School Exhibition is an exhibit the Thorne gallery displays every two years showcasing the artistic talent of high school teachers and students throughout the local area and neighboring towns.
Gallery Director Paul McMullan spoke to the importance of a collaboration between the Thorne gallery and local high school art departments.
“It’s a way to get the community on campus and a great way to expose students to art,” McMullan said.
McMullan said the Regional High School Exhibition is grounded on the principle of encouraging artists – both students and teachers – to continue making art, coming at a time when he believes the world could use it the most.
“There’s enough going on in this world,” McMullan said. “We need somewhere to go, somewhere uplifting.”
The gallery limits the entries to a five pieces per school maximum, a number McMullan said may be insufficient due to the amount of quality artists he sees in the local area. However, McMullan said he does foresee a future where Thorne will be able to showcase up to 10 pieces per school, further broadening the scope of art found at Keene State College.
McMullan said the Regional High School Exhibition is a tradition the Thorne staff cherishes and something he ensured the future of, stating, “As long as I’m here, we’re going to do it.”
He continued, “It’s good for students to come here and see their work outside of high school and hopefully continue to pursue it.”
One of the artists, Brattleboro Union High School Ceramics Teacher Rachel Suplee, issued a statement to The Equinox via email. Suplee stated she felt the opportunity to feature her students’ work was an incredible experience.
Suplee stated, “As an alum of Keene State, I have always appreciated the beauty of Thorne gallery, so receiving the invitation to exhibit there was truly exciting. My students were thrilled as well, as it was their first time having their work displayed in a gallery setting. We have so many talented artists at BUHS, and selecting pieces for the show was a challenge for us as art educators—it took a vote to make the final choices.”
The opportunity to showcase one’s artwork at the Thorne gallery is one Suplee called impactful. Suplee stated that by experiencing community engagement first hand, artists are able to better understand the importance of their art.
Suplee stated, “I hope Keene State continues this tradition, as it was a rewarding experience for both me as an artist and as a teacher, proudly sharing my students’ work in such a meaningful way.”
Artist and student at Conant Middle High School, Kayden Wozniak, has a painting currently showcased at Thorne. In the painting, a lone red Colonial-style house stands atop a hill. Wozniak spoke to the inspiration behind the piece in an email.
“The Red Colonial is based off of a real house that used to stand a few miles from my home before it was torn down,” Wozniak stated. “It was abandoned my whole life, alone in a desolate gray field … It always captured my attention, more-so than the actual lived-in and kept up with houses around it. I knew it had a story behind it, but unfortunately I guess we’ll never know all of it. That is what made it so interesting to me. Someone may have grown up there, raised a family, and lived a whole life there, and now it’s gone, no evidence a home ever even stood.”
Another student-artist at Conant Middle High School, Charlotte Hutchinson, created a celtic-themed ceramic mug. Hutchinson elaborated on the mug’s “family ties” in an email.
“My whole life I have been most connected to my Irish roots,” Hutchinson stated. “This past summer was the first time I visited Ireland and when I started to work on this mug I knew I wanted to create something inspired by that trip. The Celtic Mug allowed me to express my heritage and artistic creativity through clay, which has become one of my favorite mediums.”
In an email sent to The Equinox, Jenny Meskauskas, art educator at Conant Middle High School and featured artist at the Thorne gallery, spoke to the quality of work provided by students.
“We have so many incredibly talented students at Conant Middle High School, and it was difficult to choose only five works of art,” Meskauskas stated. “Our course offerings have grown significantly over the last few years and our AP Art class has doubled in past years due to the tremendous skills and talent of our students. We are consistently amazed at the body of work our students create and are proud to be able to showcase some of their artwork in this show.”
Parker Bartlett can be contacted at
pbartlett@kscequinox.com
