Art Day: Designed to Attract Attention
Contributions from Kassandra Fung & School News Staff
On January 16, 2026, High School West held its annual Art Day. Art Day was created to allow students in art classes in their sophomore, junior, and senior years to showcase their work to the rest of the school community.
Leading up to the day, posters were posted on the wall, encouraging students to check it out. The event took place in the new gym, where tables designated for the different art classes were set up, with talented students working proudly behind them.
Throughout the day, the artists’ peers were able to come down and look at the beautiful creations they had made, allowing them to connect further with their school and community.
During Art Day, art students worked on projects showcasing their art styles. Students came down looking at the different types of art, such as photography, architecture, sculpture, fashion, painting, drawing, media arts, 3D art, and theatre.
The AP Art History students made a recreation of Monet’s Waterlilies for the set of a ping-pong ball toss. In Fashion Illustration and Fashion Design, dresses were made from fabric, artificial leaves, papier-mâché, pearls, and sequins, and they used 2D paper models to display their ideas for future projects.
In architecture, they built different types of houses, such as treehouses and birdhouses, and used T-squares, wood, and glue. In ceramics and sculpture, they made crab-themed Tic Tac To, bookends, Slab Lantern, Tea set, and garden gnome. As you can see in Half Hollow Hills, the students have a lot of creativity and passion for the arts.
In order to gain the perspective of students who participated in Art Day at HSW, we interviewed Tajriyan Kader and Jazmin Gantt. A common trend among participants was that they came together to do what they loved most.
“I think what I enjoy most about Art Day is to see all the art classes in one spot,” artist Jazmin Gantt shared, “So to see the art community in HSW all in one place is a great thing to see.”
Many students continued to take art classes throughout their time in High school. While school life is stressful and full of assignments, art helps them reduce anxiety and express themselves.
“I like using fashion as a means to express my identity and create social commentary,” artist Tajriyan Kader explained, “Taking time out of my otherwise busy schedule to create in a way that means something is important to me.”
Art shows how someone truly is on the inside and what they care about. It’s a form of imagination where they have the freedom to express themselves. A way Tajriyan Kader expressed herself in her art was by drawing her cultural clothing on the Statue of Liberty. Jazmin Gantt uses her art to comment on and draw attention to social issues.
As you can see, Art Day is not just a day for students to showcase their art; it’s a way for them to connect with the art community and represent themselves.
