Coloring the school; McNick opens new art gallery

To the students at McNicholas High School, the library is not only a place to find new reading material but also a place to meet friends before school, study at lunch, and wait for their parents after school. On Nov. 18, McNicholas added a new feature: an art gallery. After the books were cleared out from the upper floor of the library, librarian Anne Jones came up with the idea of displaying students’ artworks. When Jones suggested the gallery to Art Department Chair Mel Gaskins, she loved the idea.

In the past, students’ works have been displayed during Open House and in the lower art hallway which didn’t allow the majority of students to see the art. “The art gallery is a great opportunity to showcase the students’ talents for more people to see and in a safer environment,” Gaskins said. It also allows students who only take art their first semester to be able to get their works displayed since the annual art show is in the spring.

On the day of the gallery opening the library was transformed; there was an art theme to the room, balloons hung everywhere, refreshments were served, and games were played. The event even included background music provided by band students Jordan McCormick and William Granlund. Students and faculty were invited to come during E and F lunch to browse the students’ photos, paintings, and pottery. “I think it’s great because people get to showcase their hard work and what they’ve been working on,” senior Sally Daoud said. Daoud was one of the student artists whose work was displayed in the new gallery.

The art gallery will be displaying artworks from all art classes, from Ceramics I to Digital Arts to Architecture. The pieces will change as student artists finish new works. Students will be able to visit and see the artwork at any time up on the upper floor of the library.

McNick students browse the new art gallery. The gallery opened Nov. 18 on the upper floor of the library and is open during the same hours as the library, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.