Hackley’s Annual Art Shows

Hackley’s exhibition season is fast approaching, and our artists from all divisions are preparing their artwork for our spring shows. These annual divisional art shows are exciting and important components of the creative process for all Hackley artists, as well as opportunities for the wider community to enjoy the creative accomplishments of our students. 

 

The Visual Arts have grown immensely in the last decade on The Hilltop, with nearly 70% of our Upper School student body participating in our program. Upper School artists now work in a wide range of mediums and disciplines, from traditional painting and drawing, sculpture and ceramics, chemical and digital photography, to computer animation, and architectural design. Each year the department is increasingly proud of and impressed by the quality of the art our students achieve, and how each graduating year seems to set the artistic bar a little higher for the next group. Our Middle School program has expanded significantly in recent years, allowing greater choice and options to our students. Seventh and Eighth graders now choose art as either a major or minor, and majors have the opportunity to rotate through three different art courses during the year. All Middle School students enjoy increased studio time within our new structure, allowing for a more consistent and richer creative experience. Our youngest students in the Lower School continue to enjoy a dynamic, fun, and informative studio experience at all grade levels, working in all mediums and disciplines, as well as learning about the rich history of art from the Caves of Lascaux to Modern Abstraction!

Prior to our annual spring exhibitions, Hackley artists have ample opportunities to show their work during the course of the year. Student work is displayed throughout all divisions beginning in the fall, and students and teachers alike often stop into our studios to share their thoughts and reactions. Hackley student art is also submitted to a number of important and prestigious outside exhibitions. Upper School artists have participated this year in The College of New Rochelle Show, The Pace University Small Works Show, and The Katonah Museum Senior Show. This year, Hackley senior, Natania Greenspan, won First Prize at the College of New Rochelle Show for her large, AP concentration drawing of an eye. All of the organizers of these shows are very generous with their praise of the Hackley art submitted, often remarking that the Hackley work is traditionally some of the strongest work in their exhibition.

This year’s exhibition schedule kicks off on the evening of May 14th, with our Upper and Middle School Art Shows opening simultaneously! Hackley’s Upper School artists will host a reception in Allen Memorial Hall from 6:00-8:00 PM, while Hackley’s Middle School artists will host their reception directly below in the M.S. Art Studio, also from 6:00 -8:00 PM. Both shows will feature paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, digital and architectural designs, sculpture and ceramics from a wide range of courses. The Upper School Show will remain open in Allen Memorial Hall for an additional day, closing at the end of the school day on May 15. 

Immediately following these shows, The Lower School will hold its annual exhibition on May 16th, from 6:00-7:30 PM on the ground floor of the Kathleen Allen Lower School. Always a fun and magical evening, the all-purpose room will be filled with the wonderful creations of Hackley’s younger artists grades 1-4.

 

Then it’s back to Allen Memorial Hall on May 21st, when the seniors will host their Annual Thesis Exhibition from 6:00-8:00 PM. The seniors will show selections from their AP concentration and breadth portfolios, and will be on hand to answer questions about their work and discuss their concentration statements. The Senior Show will remain up in Allen Memorial Hall until May 22nd.

And finally, the exhibition season rounds out on June 1, when Hackley’s youngest Lower School artists will host The Kindergarten Art Show in the LS AP room from 1:30- 3:00. At its root, art is a journey, and the journey for many Hackley artists begins here!

 

Please join the department for these events, chat with the artists, enjoy some light refreshment, and celebrate another stellar creative year on the Hilltop!

Greg Cice, Art Department Chair