On Mar. 7 the annual Missoula Public Library art show began, but the process of setting up was much more complicated than you would think. The set up started on Thursday the 6th, but mostly happened on the day of the art show, making it a huge time crunch. A few Ceramics 2 classmates and I went to help set up the show during lunch and the last half of the school day. We brought all of the ceramics pieces down to the Missoula Public Library, where the show would take place. There were three boxes total of ceramics that were set up. The main set up was the “Dinner table” where each student chose a piece of cutlery like silverware, plates, bowls, pitchers, etc. and used a real world problem behind the inspiration of the piece to spark up a conversation at the dinner table. The other ceramic pieces were submitted by students and put into glass cases along with other works.
This show wasn’t only ceramics. Many students had submitted their paintings and drawings. These were hung up on boards with the name, grade, and medium underneath. Placing these name tags onto every single piece was a very tedious task and having the helping hands of many classmates made the process go by way faster. Each drawing and painting was put in front of a black piece of card stock to make the work look neater and more professional. Each piece was also put up with tiny metal pins and velcro. There were also a few bigger installations such as printmaking where students created a monster-like bug character and sewed it into a puffy pillow. They were all collaboratively placed on a colorful quilt.
My favorite installation was by far the sculpture classes’ collaborative piece. Each student was given a clear sphere where you would then make a scene or a room inside of it. Each student’s piece was divinely created and had a lot of thought behind it. These clear spheres were placed in front of the main South facing window on the fourth floor, allowing the evening’s golden light to shine through each and every sphere. Some of these spheres are now being installed in the Hellgate High School Library.
Some of my favorite pieces that were shown in the art show came from Sai Thompson, Lauris Reintjes, and Lucy Pino. I like Thompson’s work because of her use of realism mixed with abstract ideas. I have always loved her art work since I was a freshman so it was very nice to see her most recent progressions at this show. Reintjes, who I have previously done a feature article on, makes pieces that are focused on animal endangerment. I love that his work brings light to these situations in a very beautiful and kind manner. Pino’s work is fantastic and her use of patterns and feminine features was so refreshing to see. Some of her pieces even made me emotional.
Visual art wasn’t the only art form present at the library on Mar. 7. The Hellgate Jazz Band was invited to play some of the pieces they had been working on for this show and the Missoula Jazz Festival. Having always been a big fan of the Hellgate Jazz Band, this show was nothing short of perfect. Snacks were provided by the library and consisted of cookies, crackers, La Croix, and prosciutto.
This First Friday library art show has been a tradition for years and I have always enjoyed it but this year was incredibly special with all of Hellgate’s new and younger artists coming out of their shells.
