The Student Art Exhibit has opened on the second floor of the J-Wing to display student-made art for the St. Louis U. High community to admire. From still lifes and self-portraits to abstract sketches and pottery, this exhibit is showing off the creativity and ingenuity within the visual arts department.

Throughout the school year, students make art in one of the numerous arts classes that SLUH offers.

“I've done Drawing I and II, painting and now ceramics,” said junior Leo Smith. “The exhibit is a display of all the different works we've created and I hope everyone is able to appreciate it as much as the artists do.”

These creations are no small feat to create. Hours upon hours of hard work and dedication are poured into the pieces by classmates to create these pieces.

“It's really easy to walk into a gallery space like this and see a piece of artwork in its finished state and respect it for what it is right there in the moment. But, what goes unseen is the process to get to that point and not just the hours of actually working on it,” said Fine Arts Department chair Sarah Rebholz. “There’s a lot of discussions with the teacher and contemplating which direction to take the project and those are crucial to the beautiful finished piece.”

After students create all of their varying pieces of art, art teachers Rebholz, Joan Bugnitz, and Sean Powers lay out the entire art showcase. They choose which pieces to display and where all the artwork should be hung or placed for the most intriguing visual display.

“We all feel similar collectively when we're selecting pieces but we also want students to feel like they are being well represented and representing the things that they are most proud of making. I think that's what's really the most important thing when it comes to the exhibit,” said Bugnitz. 

The reflect a student's personality and his own special abilities.

“Every year students are so impressed by the work as a whole but especially when they see something that their friends have made,” said Rebholz. “You never know what you are going to be blown away by or what talents you didn't know that your friend has possessed. It’s really cool to see that friend or student in a different light.”

The exhibit will be on display in the Art Gallery until the end of the school year in J223 for anyone to see between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on school days. 

“It just takes a few minutes to visit,” said senior Malcolm Hinkebein. “It's a fun experience to just look at all this and you might find something that really strikes you. A lot of students put so much work into the art pieces, and they would appreciate it.”