An exhibition of artwork by students from Fowler High School will open at SALTQuarters, 115 Otisco St., on Thursday, Feb. 13. The public is invited to an opening event from 4-6 p.m.
An exhibition of artwork by students at Fowler High School will open on Thursday, Feb. 13, at SALTQuarters, 115 Otisco St.
The works were created during this current school year by the students of Fowler art teacher Izzy Dugger. Most students are in the “Studio in Art” course, the beginning art course needed to graduate from high school. Others are in 2D or 3D classes as an elective.
The assignments are based on learning the principles of design and art elements, and the content is based on the New York State Art Learning Standards, which include art history, studio art, aesthetics and art criticism.
This exhibition shows the work of students who excelled and pushed themselves to do more than just what is required to pass, says Dugger.
“I believe that school is not about learning facts, but about learning how to think. My art classes teach students to think like an artist: look more closely, find beauty in everyday things [like the still life paintings], make new connections, go beyond ordinary ways of thinking, generate new perspectives, work hard at the edge of their potential, concentrate their attention for long periods of time [like in the blind contour drawings], dream and fantasize [like the tint scale silhouette paintings] and to create new ideas [such as the informal balance sculptures],” says Dugger. “Most of my students have come to my class not because they love art, but because they need it to graduate. Once they get here, they find that it is not an easy course at all, and they must continually stretch their minds to the point of being uncomfortable in order to achieve greatness.”
The Fowler High School student exhibition at SALTQuarters is part of the collaboration between the Near West Side Initiative (NWSI) and Say Yes to Education’s aim to create a “Say Yes Neighborhood” on Syracuse’s Near West Side by capitalizing on the NWSI’s community revitalization efforts.
By stressing the importance of educational attainment and its connection to urban community revitalization, the “Say Yes Neighborhood” consists of three schools that feed into one another: Seymour Dual Language Academy, Westside Academy at Blodgett and Fowler High School.
The “Say Yes Neighborhood” on the Near West Side weaves together the elements of the SALT (Syracuse Art, Literacy and Technology) District with Say Yes’s educational theory of change by building bridges of relevancy and real-life applications of learned skills for neighborhood students.
SaltQuarters is curated and managed by Stacey Lindbloom, a Syracuse University Engagement Scholar working for the Near West Side Initiative. Through the Engagement Scholar Program, SU students have the opportunity to work with local organizations part time while working on a graduate degree.
Following the opening event, viewings of the show will be available by appointment. For more information, contact Lindbloom at smlg26@gmail.com.
