This November marks the first time the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School (NSHAHS) Art Department will partner with the Great Neck Library to display students’ work from the variety of art classes. The show is being installed on Nov. 1 and will run through the 28th.
The exhibit features various artistic styles and appeals to all tastes: from the contemporary architecture student’s residential design to the advanced-placement studio art student’s surrealist self-portrait to the avante-garde fashion student’s collage of all things Dior, withstanding the test of time and trend. A quick look around the exhibit will tell you that North Shore’s art curriculum accommodates students’ varied interests and art industry trends, allowing students to engage in higher-level techniques and develop fine-tuned technical skills. Upon graduation, students produce professional grade portfolios to meet the admissions criteria of the country’s most selective art schools and conservatories.
The NSHAHS Art Department is bustling with creative talent eager to make something beautiful every day. Students see, feel, think, and make aesthetic choices, explore a variety of media, and self-evaluate as part of the studio experience. North Shore offers courses for non-art major students and those seeking to specialize in that area. Introductory classes include foundational multimedia experiences in the elements of art (line, shape, space, color, texture, and pattern), as well as the principles of design (balance, unity,vrhythm, proportion, color interaction, and relationships). Specialized art classes seek to explore more diverging interests, such as advanced olacement studio art, fashion design, and architecture.
Young artists’ goals will be achieved by integrating four components in every course: the creative, the critical, the cultural, and the philosophical. As Ms. Alexandra Dammacco, Chair of North Shore’s art department, explains: “The study of art is the exploration of human creativity. Art students leave the classroom not only with an appreciation of art but also with a sense of empowerment because they have learned to become creative, original thinkers.”
For senior Elisheva Nassimi, art has always been a vehicle through which she can creatively express herself: “Since freshmen year, North Shore’s Art Department has been such a nurturing environment that enables me to explore so many different things.” Elisheva has been studying impressionism and will continue to do so as part of her “sustained investigation.” To keep you up-to-date on your artist’s lingo, a sustained investigation makes up most of one’s portfolio. “It should be a cohesive body of work that significantly explores an inquiry,” says Elisheva. The inquiry is the work created through the process of developing, creating, revising, and exploring the idea of your guiding question.
(Photo provided by the Great Neck Library)
No matter the artist’s sustained investigation, the search for original concepts, the integral development of technique and observational skills, and the cultivation of respect for the elements of art and design principles all foster a sense of limitless artistic possibilities for students at North Shore. This November, join us for a celebration of the arts. Believe me, you’ve never seen art quite like this before! If you’re a real art connoisseur, consider joining North Shore’s budding artists this May for their annual art show.
Art is just too important not to share!
—Submitted by Chloe Mastour
