Over the course of six months, nine Marlborough seniors worked on their senior thesis projects, where they conveyed a cohesive idea through a minimum of three art pieces. The work differed for each student, with each core message remaining personal and unique. The themes varied greatly, covering topics ranging from Zoe ’23’s work about children’s literature to Stella ’23’s pieces on motherhood.
The project was largely self driven, meaning the students were given independent work time and followed a close schedule, while still having the opportunity to explore new ideas and methods. As the artists traversed the theme linking their pieces, they experimented with new mediums.
“[The project] ends up manifesting in all these really interesting dynamic ways: sculpture, mixed media, printmaking, film,” Visual Arts Department Head Chelsea Dean said.
The use of multiple mediums was apparent through the show, where the artists’ individual styles progressed in different ways and through different techniques.
“I went through a lot of different mediums trying to find one that encapsulated the feelings I was trying to express,” Athena ‘23 said.
Although there are numerous themes, there are a few common ideas represented in all the work.
“A lot of students are really tapping into different parts of their identity,” Dean said. “I think there’s still a lot of big experiences and moments and things that people are processing from the pandemic.”
Additionally, diversity of student identities and pieces is represented in the Spring Art Show, which opened on Wednesday, May 3. This show, a culmination of work from every second semester art class, includes pieces from all grades, allowing viewers to see the range of work from less experienced classes to more experienced ones. The artwork displayed reflects the talent and hard work of the Marlborough community.
“The cool thing is you’re getting to see work from every grade level, every class,” Dean said. “It’s a great opportunity for students to go if they’re interested in doing art classes.”
