Palmer High School students showcase artistic talent during public exhibition

PALMER — Palmer High School art students showcased their talents during an International Baccalaureate (IB) visual arts exhibition titled, “Creative Ventures” Friday, April 14. Dozens of community members from across the Mat-Su Valley cycled through the exhibition and showed their support to the young artists.

"I love being able to show my work to a wider audience," PHS junior Jay Clark said.

Fourteen students participated in this year's exhibition, according to PHS art instructor Anna Folsom. She said that she was thrilled with her students’ diverse display of dedication and creativity.

“This was a pretty good turnout," Folsom said. “I love that everyone gets to represent their own style.”

This annual exhibition is a culminating event for IB art students who spent the school year working on their projects of choice. Seniors submit their final products to be reviewed for the IB Diploma Program, while the juniors typically use the first event as a means of acclimating to the submission process and preparing for the following year.

“It's really for kids that are dedicated to developing their craft," Folsom said.

Folsom said that students have the freedom to choose what types of projects they want to work on and it’s up to them to follow through with their ideas. She said they all have to learn how to properly display their work for the exhibition regardless of the mediums they choose.

“They have freedom in what they want to say but they have to polish it," Folsom said. “To be a college-level artist, that’s what you do. Art is about putting yourself out there, this is part of that.”

Clark said that she was impressed with what he peers came up with for the final presentation. She said that she enjoyed seeing so many different themes, and she was inspired by the sheer amount of skill that was showcased.

“This class is full of amazing artists,” Clark said.

Clark’s display was a multi-medium collection of various works ranging from photography and paintings to quilts and wearable art.

“I like pretty much every art form," Clark said. “I have a lot of ideas and things I want to communicate and art is a really great way to do that.”

All of the artwork from the exhibit will stay on display for a week. Folsom said their IB art program has continued to grow over the years, and she hopes that more students will find inspiration from their peers' final products and join the program next year.

“I'm really proud of their accomplishments,” Folsom said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com.