Alongside laser carved wood, clothes, jewelry, ceramics and more, two of Thomas Jefferson’s very own students were featured in a local gallery. photo by Kira McBarron
Thomas Jefferson’s young creatives of tomorrow are being featured today.
On Saturday, September 7th, two of Thomas Jefferson’s own students were featured in a local art gallery. Alongside laser carved wood, clothing, jewelry, and ceramics, their pieces were displayed at Artworks @ Southglenn.
Acrylic artist Sue Lee has her Predominantly Poppies series on display in many galleries across the Denver area. However, her involvement at Artworks has proven to be meaningful for all ages. Through The Youth Art Program, Lee had the idea of featuring student artists from local high schools, and Thomas Jefferson was selected as the first partner school.
Freshman Chloe Westlund, a student involved in both athletics and art, was the first student selected for the new showcase. At a local family camp the Westlunds frequent in the summertime, there was a rock painting activity. When they ran out of rocks, Lee suggested anyone who wanted to continue creating could get some paper and use the plentiful supplies. Westlund grabbed some paint and paper and started working. Lee observed the work the young Westlund created and approached her about the idea of being featured alongside another student at her school, to which Westlund agreed.
Simone DiFalco, a junior who exhibits skills on both the tennis court and the canvas, also had her art on display. DiFalco recalls the challenge of the unexpected opportunity: “the later schools have more time to prepare” their art and showcases. This was a quick turn around; the gallery asked for a main piece no more than 2 or 3 feet to frame on the wall, and both girls were given a table to display their own smaller pieces. Westlund conveyed her love for animals through her various pieces, while DiFalco kept her work to realism portraits. Each student was given the opportunity to price their work similar to the gallery exhibitors. DiFalco, however, was not interested in pricing all her work. “They gave me the opportunity to price it, but that framed piece is very personal to me – it’s a portrait of me in my mom’s childhood bedroom, so I didn’t want it in anyone else’s house.”
Timi Biermann is in her third year as TJ’s drawing and painting teacher. After seeing an impromptu email from Lee, she recalls displaying the poster on Schoology for all her classes. “The first student interested was to be featured, and that was Simone.” She commends Artworks for starting this new showcase, stating that it’s “really cool they’re doing this for high school students and creating opportunities for artists of any age.” Biermann claims it is “never too soon” for artists to be exposed to their work being displayed. Having had students featured multiple times a year since she started teaching, along with being featured in galleries herself, Biermann believes that “it’s the viewer that really completes the idea of the artwork.”
Echoing Biermann’s sentiment, Lee stated that “the Youth Art Program came from the belief that today’s students are the future artists of tomorrow.” The Youth Art Committee, consisting of eleven members currently exhibited in the gallery, were all enthusiastic about the idea of featuring young artists. The group decided to create space on the gallery wall dedicated to students’ work, so that young artists can know their worth and feel the pride of being seen. On top of a month-long feature, Lee presented the two students with certificates commending their “artistic excellence” as young creators.
