'World of Wonder' Highlights Student Artists

Creating a work of art can be a very personal process.

The enjoyment of that art, however, can bring communities together. 

This much was evident on April 24, as the EHS Art Department opened the doors to its annual Spring Exhibition in the EHS/EMS Library. World of Wonder featured several student pieces—selected by a board of Visual Art instructors and students—that exemplified some of the stunning and thought-provoking work being done by students in class this year.

EHS Art Chair Rachel Sydlowski lauded the students for their bold artistic choices and thanked faculty members for lending a guiding hand throughout the school year. The fruits of these student efforts were on display to visitors who strolled through the library last weekend.

“Each instructor in the department works closely with many of these students, and seeing them proudly share their work with friends and families is one of the most rewarding parts of the year,” said Sydlowski. "Putting together an exhibition of this scale takes a great deal of time, planning, and effort. Like any major production, there can be stressful moments while everything is being prepared and installed. But once the work is up and the space fills with students, families, and community members, all of that quickly fades. What remains is the excitement students feel when they see their ideas and efforts presented publicly.”

Student works included cyanotype paper doll collages with interchangeable elements, a functioning View-Master featuring original student imagery, and geometric wooden forms where viewers were invited to wind string across nails to generate patterns informed by systems of chance.

Sydlowski also noted that the timing of the exhibition—which coincided with the EHS Players Club premiere of Groundhog Day: The Musical and the National Art Honor Society Induction—was deliberately chosen.

“While the exhibition certainly celebrated the excellent work students produced this year, it also aimed to create a cohesive experience, one that reflected imagination, interaction, and the playful energy of the larger school arts community,” said Sydlowski. “As a result, the exhibition featured more large-scale, immersive, and conceptually driven works than ever before. Many pieces invited direct viewer participation and explored ideas connected to relational aesthetics, art that is completed or activated through audience interaction. 

The atmosphere of the exhibition opening feels much like a successful group show in any gallery setting, full of conversation, discovery, and people engaging with the work,” she added. “For many students, it is especially meaningful to see their artwork presented outside of the classroom and shared with a wider audience. They are incredibly proud, excited, and supportive of one another, which helps strengthen the sense of community within the department.”