It is rare for high school art students to see artwork done by famous artists Georgia O’Keefee and Tim Faiers and work with a professional sculpture. However, members of Ms. Gwen English’s Printmaking and Advanced Art classes had this opportunity because the extra class time they had as a result of GryphGiving.

GryphGiving provided new possibilities for art students at St. George’s because they could complete projects that they previously could not do during the regular class day. Ms. English wanted students to learn more by looking at and working with professional artists.

“For GryphGiving, it was important for me to have the kids work with another professional artist, so I had a ceramic artist come in,” said Ms. English. “We did sculptural process. We made slab built sculptures ,and we also made tea pots.”

This project was something students did not have the time to do within the regular seventy minute class period.

Advanced Art students saw the Georgia O’Keefee Aloha exhibit, as well as other artwork at the Brooks Museum on the third day of GryphGiving, January 30th.

“It was a lot of fun, and interesting,” said Senior Rainey Zaugg who takes Advanced Art. “My favorite part of the Brooks museum was seeing the student artwork being displayed. It made me happy to know high schoolers were already getting recognition in their work.”

Ms. English decided to take her students to the Brooks Museum because it offered a beneficial learning experience for her students in both Advanced Art and Printmaking.

“I think it’s really important for students if they are working on a technique to see professional historical works that demonstrate that technique, so that was what we were looking at,” said English. “That’s invaluable when you’re working with students to teach them where the ideas come from, the experiences that lead up to it, how things how studies are made, before the paintings are made, and then how to execute works in the manner of another artist.”

Advanced Art and Prinkmaking students also went to the Crosstown Concourse where they meet up with Mr. Danny Broadway’s Painting class.

“Crosstown was really cool. You can apply to their housing, and if you’re an artist, you get a chance to live there,” said  Senior and Printmaking student Connor Longfield. “You have all this place to record music, make art, and do graphic design. It’s free for you to use, which I thought was cool.”

The experience art students had being exposed to other artists changed their perception of art as a whole.

“I realized that art is a flowing, ever-changing genre that can be used for the betterment of society, in multiple ways,” said Zaugg.