Curator Statement

The art in the 9th Annual High School Juried Art Show submerges the viewer in vast spaces of visually appealing artworks, in multitudes of media that showcase the talent and passion of the high school students in Prince Albert and surrounding area. In this exhibition you will see art created with paints, pastels, charcoal, colored pencils, graphite, photography, cardboard and more. This show is truly for everyone to enjoy with this wide range of visual arts.
 

This year, for the first time, students can sell their artworks. Some have added prices, which are shown as part of the information of each piece. The students were also asked to write an artist statement, which gives the viewer a description of their artwork. Some student artists explain where they find inspiration, or what their artwork makes them feel — you can even read their poetry. I titled this section of the exhibition A Word from The Students. The other galleries are titled Sculptures, A Walk in Nature, Reflections, Boundless Beauty and A Dale Auger Study.
 

Sculptures showcases the 3D artworks we received. The works featured show original creativity and craftsmanship. Artworks have been made with materials such as clay, needle felting, cardboard and fabrics.  A Walk in Nature showcases beautiful watercolor paintings, pastel pictures, acrylic paintings, mixed media and photography, all focused on the subject of nature. Reflections features the phenomenal portraits that were submitted using a variety of styles and media. Boundless Beauty is a colorful mix of artworks that highlight the unique styles and techniques that these talented students have developed. I am excited to show the interpretations of Dale Auger paintings that were submitted by Ms. Charlene Roy, art teacher at P.A.C.I. In this section, the eight students did great work that showed a lot of joy in their oil pastels.

 

While original pieces are prioritized, I thought it would be important to showcase the vital practice of studying art history.  Dale Auger was a Sakaw Cree artist and storyteller from the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta. Studying art history touches on critical times in our past and enriches students as they see life through the eyes of an artist of a different era. It allows students to gather knowledge and inspiration that eventually contributes to how they speak and view the world around us.

 

Curating this show brought me so much happiness, inspiration and pride in our students' hard work. The final selection of works include 64 student artists with 76 artworks from Carlton Comprehensive Public High School, École St. Mary High School, Prince Albert Collegiate Institute, Regent Academy, and one from Lloydminster Comprehensive High School. I also added images from previous HSJAS exhibitions to create an immersive experience for the viewer to enjoy the familiar feeling of being at the Mann Art Gallery. I am honored to present the 9th Annual High School Juried Art Show.

​

I want to extend a huge thank you to all the students who submitted their work, to the parents who helped their teenagers with submissions and to Lana Lorenson, art teacher from Carlton Comprehensive High School and Charlene Roy, art teacher from Prince Albert Collegiate Institute, who organized and submitted multiple artworks from their students. Thank you to teachers Krysta Hawryluk at St. Mary's and Christina Thoen of Christina's Art School for your dedication to teaching and encouraging your students to submit. This show would not be possible without any of you. I would also like to thank our sponsors who make it possible to continue the important work of enriching life through art when it is perhaps needed most. During this unprecedented time in history I know adding more daily tasks can be a lot of pressure, but to my surprise, I received over 80 artwork submissions. Selecting artworks was not an easy task because I would have loved to show every single piece I received, however, to keep the online exhibition manageable, I have juried the current selection. We truly have many talented high school artists in our midst. 

​

​

Danielle Castle, Acting Gallery Educator