Can a mask reveal your face?
An art class here at Liberty seeks to showcase identity through this question in a creative quest.
Art fundamentals is a beginners class, it focuses on learning techniques and building skills. Because of the focus on the basics of art, students’ knowledge and materials are somewhat limited.
Jonathan Purvis, an art teacher, wanted to give students the ability to have a project with freedom to create what they want.
“I wanted to reward their hard work with something that was more freedom of expression,” Purvis said.
This is when Purvis introduced the “mask project.” The assignment’s goal was to give his students the ability to express themselves. From spooky to delicate designs, the students took their freedom with this project, and created masterpieces.
“I wanted to make it scary,” Drew Vankygrifka (12) said. “I searched up a mask, and looked at it as a basis, then I put in my own details.”
The mask project’s ultimate goal was to give the artists something they could be proud of.
“I hope they got something they wanted,” Purvis said. “Something they can say that they created on their own.”
Purvis’s goal to give students an opportunity to express themselves as individuals was achieved. They painted with colors of their own hues, and studded jewels of their aesthetic.
“My favorite part was seeing the end results. Seeing where I could have done a little better,” Vankygrifka said.
To showcase their skill, students proudly displayed their masks in a competition.
The competition helped to encourage the artists to create their best work. Students and staff from around the school were invited to vote.
Regardless of the results, these young artists have been given valuable exposure to the artistic process: feedback.
