High Art 2023: Elemental

_________________________________________________

In-gallery Exhibition: May 16th – June 1st, 2023

Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony: Wed, May 17^th 6:30-8pm. Free and open to all.

_________________________________________________

Theme: ELEMENTAL

Fourteen Massachusetts high schools will brave the elements and showcase installation art at the Attleboro Arts Museum’s annual High Art exhibition held in-gallery from May 16th – June 1st, 2023. High Art connects teens with artists both past and present, fosters the creation of original artworks, and provides a professional forum for students to voice their creativity and work collaboratively.

This year’s High Art theme of ELEMENTAL will feature exciting installations that consider the periodic table, the 7 elements of art, the power of nature, raw materials and more! Elemental – at its core – describes the building blocks of life from human connections to the basics of all existing matter – earth, air, fire and water. As the world twists and turns around us, these essential principles hold an energy that can ground us in times of chaos and unrest. Visitors will discover what makes up the human form, explore how the primaries are the main colors from which all colors are created, and even ponder what it means to be in one’s natural element.

Artist, Steven Wiseman of Norton, MA has been invited to serve as juror for the exhibition. Wiseman will assign the following Awards – Best in Show; Second Place; Third Place; Honorable Mention and select Merit Awards. These awards will be announced at the Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony held in-gallery on Wed, May 17th from 6:30-8pm. Free and open to all.

Visitors of the High Art Exhibition will be asked to cast their People’s Choice Award ballot by using either a QR Code reader or a computer terminal in the Museum’s gallery that connects to a Google Form. Virtual People’s Choice Award votes will be collected throughout the course of the exhibit – with the award given to the top school after the exhibition has concluded on June 1^st at 4pm.

Participating High Schools:

Attleboro High School
Barnstable High School
Bishop Feehan High School
Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School
Dover-Sherborn Regional High School
King Philip Regional High School
Mansfield High School
New Bedford High School
Norton High School
Norwood High School
Seekonk High School
Sharon High School
Silver-Lake Regional High School
Taunton High School

___________________

Juror: Steven Wiseman

Steven Wiseman’s work can best be described as a love of wood and nature with a touch of artistic embellishment. This attachment began as a child watching and helping his father working around the house and building amazing model train layouts.

This was enhanced with a wood shop class in high school and classes at Wentworth Institute. Working with wood was carried through home ownership and shifted direction with Steve’s first grandchild. Doll houses, trucks, cars, trains and intarsia evolved to pens and ornaments in the late 1990s with the purchase of a lathe. Basic bowls and vases took a much more artistic turn upon his retirement in early 2016. Turning architectural reproduction pieces and teaching woodturning began later that year and Steve continues to watch his first students create beautiful pieces (sometimes better than his).

Steve’s work has won awards at several nationally juried art shows. He has exhibited at the Fuller Craft Museum, Attleboro Arts Museum, South Shore Arts Festival and The Arnold Arboretum. His work is sold at retail venues and at Paradise City Arts Festivals where visitors have delighted in his woodturning demonstrations.

___________________

What is installation art? Installation art uses any material invention to modify the way a space is experienced and can be either temporary or permanent. Installation artworks have been constructed in exhibition spaces such as museums and galleries, as well as public and private spaces. The genre incorporates a broad range of materials, including but not limited to huge, three-dimensional painting/murals, sculpture, poems, and new media such as video, sound, and performance art.

_____________________