This year’s student art show features work from Tabor’s visual arts classes, including hand-building, wheel-throwing, painting, and photography. The exhibition reflects months of studio practice, but it also shows how students are learning to make choices that communicate something beyond the assignment.
Mr. Arnfield, Visual Arts Teacher, emphasized that technique is only part of the goal. “While we stress technique, the most core element of art is the message or feeling an artist is trying to convey. Media and technique are just a way to communicate that.” Because of that approach, the show feels less like a collection of projects and more like a set of individual perspectives. Students use the same materials in different ways, and the results look and feel distinct.
Painting and drawing pieces show a wide range of styles. Some focus on realism and careful shading, while others lean into bolder color, abstraction, or graphic design. Photography adds another layer of work that depends on composition and lighting, and it shows how students can communicate mood and meaning through a single frame.
Ceramics is one of the most noticeable parts of the exhibit because it includes both functional and sculptural pieces. Wheel-worked cups and bowls highlight consistency, form, and glaze work. Hand-built pieces show more experimentation with shape and character.
From my perspective, the show also reflects the influence of Tabor’s art teachers. Several clay head portraits suggest inspiration from Mr. Shrestha, Visual Arts Fellow, who spends much of his own time making portraits. Delicate jewelry pieces also point to Visual Arts Teacher Ms. Smith’s example as a craftsperson who is deeply interested in jewelry making. That influence matters because students are not only learning techniques from their teachers but also seeing what it looks like to build a personal artistic practice.
