Features

Drama students Luke Smithers (Adam), David Stasio (Serpent) and Renee Ambacher (Eve) perform the play “In the Beginning,” by Bruce Kane at the Edmonds-Woodway art show.  New to the show were two one-act plays. 

Art isn’t confined to an art gallery, and now neither is Edmonds-Woodway High School’s art show. 

The Edmonds-Woodway art department hosted its bi-annual art show on Feb. 11 to celebrate the first-semester artwork of not only art students but the artwork of music, drama and architecture students, too.

Showcasing artwork from photography, drawing and painting, pottery, stained-glass, animation and drafting students, as well as performances from music and drama students, the show united all the arts offered at the school.

New to the show were architectural models, live jazz music and two one-act plays.

“It was our biggest show yet,” said Alan Zugel, chair of the art department.  “As a department, we’ve decided that we want to have our theme as ‘building community through the arts,’ and so we’re really pushing to connect with students that aren’t even in our classes but are still doing art.”

The show got its start with the addition of a school art gallery in 2004, thanks to a grant from the Hubbard Family Foundation.

Starting last year, the show went from annual to bi-annual.  A winter show displays student artwork from the first semester, while artwork from second-semester students is displayed every spring.

In the past, the art department has also showcased the artwork of resident artists who visit Edmonds-Woodway to work with the art students.

Matthew Allred, a senior and photography student at Edmonds-Woodway, said it was interesting to see a range of artwork from students inside and outside the art department. 

“I’m only in photography, so I’ve really only seen a lot of photos until now,” said Allred, who had three photos on display at the show.  “It’s cool to have a bunch of different pieces from most of the kids in art classes.”

Amanda Rengli, a senior and president of the Edmonds-Woodway Art Club, said last week’s show had the best turnout she’s ever seen.

“It’s been great combining the arts,” she said.  “It’s a bigger show, it’s more fun and it attracts a bigger audience.”

Manuel Lopez-Santillana, an eighth grader at Brier Terrace Middle School, went to the winter art show because his sister Ariel had a stained-glass piece on display.  He said he was impressed by the architecture and the stained-glass artwork.

“With the stained glass, even though it was just little small pieces and shards put together, it made a picture, and the picture was simple, but it showed something,” he said.  “It’s talent to show something through such simple figures.”

Zugel said he is excited for what Edmonds-Woodway’s reinvented art show means for the future of the art department.  He plans to include students from the music, drama and architecture departments in other art projects.

“It was a real nice mix of work,” Zugel said of the show.  “It was beautiful, if I do say so myself. The kids have just done some really nice work.”