The Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) Art Fair is an annual celebration to showcase the creative works of art students across all eight schools. Traditionally, teachers would select the pieces showing the most creativity, growth, and expression to display at the show;, however, this year they kick started a new program: the Creative Visions Teen Curators Program in partnership with the Huntington Beach Art Center (HBAC). Students could take classes after school to learn about museum curating and even had the opportunity to go on a field trip to plan their own exhibition in the museum.
By the time the District Art Show comes around every year, most students have a plethora of pieces that they are proud of. They’ve learned new styles and techniques all year that they can apply to a larger piece to show off their skill and creativity. While beginner-level classes can have some of their pieces chosen for the show, higher-level art classes will make pieces with the intent of submitting them for consideration. The broader voting pool is chosen by school staff and art directors, with the final, much smaller pool chosen from that by the students.
“I go by creativity,” Garett Stryker, Huntington Beach ceramics teacher, said. “It can’t be a copy of a ‘Pokémon’ or anything. Creativity and craftsmanship. Some really interest well made pieces. That’s what I look for.”
In addition to being a place to show off student work, this is an opportunity for students to earn awards. Local professional artists are asked to come in to view and judge the work. During the last week of the exhibit, the awards will be on display with the pieces.
The museum curation classes were led on each campus by HBAC staff. They broke down the process into several weeks. Students discussed what they felt would be important to express through the exhibit, how they would want to express it, which pieces they would like to pick, the importance of cohesion and much more.
Leslie Torres, a ceramics student in the program said, “Having students do it lets us get a more creative mind. It shows that the students can do it too, even if the adults are able to.”
Small groups from each school in the HBUHSD went on a field trip to the HBAC. This was the most hands-on experience of the program. They sat with the staff and discussed the various processes of deciding the flow of the museum and the roles of art preparators. Two students from each school were given the opportunity to dive even further into the role of art preparator and got to learn how to correctly move art, learn what gloves to wear, how to hold pieces and how to carry them safely.
“There were two people there that had white gloves that were tasked to be the only ones moving art pieces,” Leslie Torres said, “I learned how to hold the painting frames a certain way because if you don’t hold it a certain way, it may break or fall. It was a little nerve-wracking, but overall it was a lot of fun.”
Each school had made a plan for their curation with their own theme statement and ideas for their exhibits. Students marked with tape where they wanted art pieces to be hung on the wall, as well as where they wanted podiums for 3-D art pieces. Students decided exactly where all the pieces in their collection were to be placed to convey their intended message. They received feedback from HBAC staff, but ultimately their placement was their own.
Jadyn Wilson, a Huntington Beach High School senior, said, “I liked it more this year because it felt like we’re more a part of something, rather than just sending out artwork and then seeing it.”
Creative Visions had its panel discussion with students from each of the seven schools, followed by the exhibition’s grand opening. You can come support the art center and all HBUHSD art students at this show until the closing day May 31st!
