Knightly News

The Middle and Upper School spring art show gets underway on March 4th in the Visual & Performing Arts Center (VPAC). Families and art enthusiasts can expect to find a variety of works representing the majority of art students in a range of mediums, including chalk pastel, oil pastel, acrylic paint, watercolor and pottery.

Purple Mountains and Discovering Inner Creativity

The current art classes began in January with the new semester, and incredibly, students already have works to share. Art teacher Karen Koprowski-Stout says classes begin with the fundamentals and build from there. For example, in a painting class, Koprowski-Stout first introduces students to drawing and breaking things down into simple shapes. Once students are comfortable with that, they discuss painting techniques, brushes and brush strokes.

Ultimately, the focus on fundamentals is not to create perfect art but to help students train their mind’s eye and think creatively about a prompt. “I remind students that they are the boss of their artwork,” says Koprowski-Stout. That means tapping into their interpretation of the world around them. Koprowski-Stout says if students want a purple mountain and an upside-down world that is perfectly fine. “I encourage them to push boundaries,” she says. “I want to see weird, interesting and unique.”

Art as a Conversation

In art teacher Veronica Hallock’s classroom, Middle School students focus on art history for nine weeks of the year. Hallock emphasizes that art takes practice and is often not perfect. “I want students to have an understanding of the tenacity required to learn new skills,” she says. “Trying and failing occur frequently in art, but that’s how we make progress and develop.”

Hallock also wants students to understand that art is a conversation, and while not everyone will be an artist, it is beneficial to have an understanding of art and artists moving forward. Spring Art Show visitors can expect to see works influenced by the conversations students have had about artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Hilma af Klint. Basquiat painted marginalized communities and splintered anatomy, and Hilma af Klint was a pioneer in abstract art. In addition, students were tasked with creating works that use Hallock’s three rules of good composition – go off the edge of the page, exaggerate scale and overlap.  

One Exhibit/A Lifetime of Inspiration

While this may be the first exhibition for some students, both art teachers hope it’s something all students will remember. Hallock points out that due to the more internal and less performative nature of visual art, it can often be a challenge to share and display work. “The Spring Art Show provides an opportunity for students to see artwork respected and celebrated,” she says. “It’s good for them to see art going up and the different types of art that have been created.”

Both art teachers remember fondly their first transformative brush with art. Koprowski-Stout smiles as she remembers winning her first big art award in kindergarten. “I wrote a book and illustrated it,” she says. Her first art show was also in elementary school, and it made an impression. “I loved it,” she says. Hallock is equally moved when thinking of her first big art moment. In elementary school, she visited the Indianapolis Museum of Art and was in awe of a stained-glass piece on display. “It changed my life,” she says. Hallock went on to have her art displayed in elementary school and earned the senior art superlative her graduating year. The first art piece she sold was a book she created based on growing up in her backyard. As the teachers recall these profound memories, it’s easy to imagine that an Episcopal art student could have a similar experience when seeing their own work celebrated and displayed.

Stop by the VPAC Lobby

Once the Middle and Upper School art is on display, Lower School student work will eventually be added in advance of the annual Grandparents Day festivities. We hope families visit the VPAC lobby to get a taste of the incredible creativity of our student artists.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2024-2025 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.