It is that time of year as International Baccalaureate (IB) seniors begin to wrap up their two year studies within the program. This includes cumulative exams, final projects, and Internal Assessments (IA’s). In the program, IA’s are tests that the teacher gives the students within the grounds of the school. In IB Art’s case the IA is the Showcase.
Waterloo is a unique district as it is one of the few districts in Iowa to offer the IB program. Students can apply for individual classes or the full program, depending on their preferences. Students in the IB Art program begin taking the class junior year and finish the class their senior year. Each IB class offers in depth work for students, forcing them to step out of their comfort zone and be high level thinkers. The program is offered at both West and East with a few differences in the selection of classes within it. IB Art however exists at both schools.
IB Art students spend the two years expanding their knowledge of other artists, cultures, and ways to express themselves. They learn the history of art, dabble in different art forms, and piece together portfolios. The showcase is the opportunity for the seniors to put together all they have learned and share it with their loved ones.
The showcase took place on Thursday, March 5 at 6:30. Families, friends, and teachers of the students came to see what young artists in the community are capable of. Students got to experience putting the work they made into the glass cases. They hung them up themselves, so the possibilities were endless on how they decided to display the art.
This event is crucial to the classes’ grading. The students are graded on the display, how developed their theme is, and down to the basics of showing up. Not all student artists get the opportunity to act like a real artist and share it with their peers. Most students make art for a grade and it never sees the light of day again. However, this showcase opens the door for those who want to explore a passion.
From the viewpoint of the audience, seeing people show their support was beautiful. The room was full of conversation, people sharing laughs, and speaking with advisors. It hasn’t always been like this in past years, so it seems as though IB has become more populated and interesting.
The showcase essentially allows humanity to flow in its most natural form. Spectators were able to stand around and ask questions about good artwork from the source. The artists were able to fully share how they felt when making their pieces and even step away from the norms of a standard art class.
The artists are the stars of this show. They are all seniors. Seven from East High and five from West High.
Michael Aviña is an artist from East High. Aviña took a different approach to his pieces, featuring a digital art piece. He wanted to speak out for those who might feel strange. “My favorite piece was “Bad Dog” because I think it perfectly encapsulates the theme of my exhibition. I love that I have so much creative freedom and control over how my art is presented. It’s very important to me that I get to display my artistic vision as accurately as possible,” Aviña said.
Kelis Harris is an artist from East High. Harris has a unique style of art as she detailed all her work with a black pen and marker. Every highlight and element was done with a pen. “My favorite piece is ‘Terrible.’ It’s my biggest and most detailed piece. I spent the most time on it, so it has grown to be my favorite. Typically, I get through two of my smaller pieces with one pen (with and occasionally a marker), but with my larger one, I used one whole pen. I’ve always been interested in pen/ink art, but only recently have I started creating artwork. I’ve heavily taken inspiration from my favorite illustrators, Junji Ito and Bernie Wrightson. Both of them have extremely detailed and dark artworks that could only dream about making,” Harris said.
Ester Shin is an artist from West High. Shin based her art around the theme of childhood, particularly the moments that made her the human she is today. “To me, art brings a calm and peaceful feeling whenever I’m focused on creating my work. It gives me a creative outlet that is rarely used in comparison to my everyday life. My favorite piece would have to be ‘Agape’ because it captures one of my fondest childhood memories. Every year, I hung the star on our family Christmas tree, and through this piece, I wanted to express the warmth and joy that the memory brings me,” Shin said.
Benjamin Young is an artist from West High. Young created using collage. He took elements from many different aspects to create a whole piece. “I hope my exhibit demonstrates the many ways an artist can create a collage. I enjoy working with shapes, designs, and bright colors, so I already have an idea of the art piece I want to create. I have an outline of what I want to do, but then my imagination runs wild, and I do what I want,” Young said.
Amy Perez-Calderon is an artist from West High. Perez-Calderon was inspired by her culture and how she has grown within her identity. “I believe each one has its own way of being interpreted, but I made a few that were inspired by my own memories as a kid growing up in Mexico and a few that could be tied into anyone’s personal life, especially if they have past generations of immigrants,” she said. Leading up to the showcase, Perez-Calderon was feeling nervous, but excited. “I was nervous because I had heard last year that not many people went to the exhibit, and I thought the same would happen for us. I was so glad that lots of people did end up showing up and supporting us; it really meant a lot, and I was happy that I bonded with the same four people I had been with for two years. It was truly amazing seeing their art as they worked on it, and watching my peers grow as people as well.”
Dayton Brown is an artist from East High. He has a huge passion towards music and combines the different art worlds into one through his pieces. “The impact that I wanted to leave on my audience was the impact that music has in expressing and conveying complex emotions and feelings. I wanted to show my audience the connection between music and art, as well as the feelings they can express. My artwork does this by conveying feelings of identity and the feeling of not fitting in, as well as conveying the simpler and sometimes overlooked emotions of happiness and sadness,” Brown said. Brown’s favorite piece was their pop art-style artwork titled “POP” with a close second being the sculpture piece titled “Card Guitar.” “My creativity is inspired by my personal relationship and connection to music. The instruments displayed visually in my artwork are all instruments that I play and enjoy listening to. I’m also heavily inspired by my parents, especially my Dad, who fostered my love for music and who always supported me through my art and music journey,” Brown said.
Art opens the door for opportunity. Every student has a story to tell and this showcase is perfect for all this talent to be shared. As IB is still new to Waterloo Schools, overtime it is starting to become more understood and welcomed. Supporting fellow students in art means investing in imagination. Waterloo Community Schools are allowing room for freedom. The artwork created matters deeply to the students who were inspired to make it. In order to keep this feeling alive, more support needs to continue, and students must keep creating.
