On Thursday, December 7, 2017, Bob Jones High School will be hosting the annual winter art show once again. About 165 different students will feature the artwork they have been working on since school started in August. This year, it is estimated that 300 masterpieces will be on display, ranging from charcoal self-portraits, acrylic painted commentaries, and colored pencil drawings. In a survey conducted between Bob Jones students, 90% of students enjoy attending the art show (while the 10% who did not enjoy it have never attended one before).

Mrs. Norton, one of the two art teachers at Bob Jones, noted, “The art show is for students to present their hard work for all to see. They get to practice setting up and taking down art, like a gallery showing.”

Not only is the art show a wonderful opportunity for students to display their artwork for the school, but they get to show all their family and friends outside of school what they have been working on. Sarah Beth Besherse, a freshman at Bob Jones, commented, “I enjoy looking at the BJ student’s’ art. It shows the talent in this school and it’s really inspiring.”

Chloe Henderson, a sophomore this year, agreed with Sarah Beth, saying that “it’s fun to see all the talent and diversity within the artists, whether they are just starting out or are in an advanced class. It provides a way to see others creativity and their outlook on life. It’s truly a beautiful thing to see!”

Megan Lamps, a senior at Bob Jones who is currently in Art 2, said, “It’s amazing to see everyone’s talent. I remember the first art show I ever went to in elementary school and I was amazed. It’s also fun to show off your own art.”

This year, in addition to the art show, the National Art Honor Society is hosting the silent art auction. The purpose of the auction is to support some of the hurricane victims in Puerto Rico. Mrs. Lakso, another art teacher at Bob Jones, informed us that the money made from the auction will be used to support Sebastian Rivera’s family, friends, and schools who are still in recovering in Puerto Rico. She said, “They are just opening their doors again after the hurricane this coming week.” Proceeds will go directly to CIMETEC, Sebastian’s former school.

There will be a variety of art pieces sold at the silent art auction: “original artwork, jewelry, Christmas crafts such as ornaments and Christmas sentiment signs, plus baked goods, and stocking stuffers.” 

Sebastian Rivera, a senior at Bob Jones, and also an advanced art student, came up with the idea for the silent art auction when he started drawing “La Patria” or “The Motherland.” He mentioned, “I wanted to help my friends and family [in Puerto Rico], and soon the NAHS proposed doing a silent auction. I fell in love with that idea, so we decided to only donate money since it’s hard to transport supplies throughout the island.”

In addition to helping develop the silent art auction, Sebastian’s artwork will also be displayed in the Winter Art Show this year. “I will display miscellaneous, but my centerpiece will be the piece I used for promoting the art auction. It shows how I’ve progressed through the art classes.” He also commented on the importance of the art show to all the students, saying “it displays the new talent any student can have and to show what they have accomplished with a semester’s worth of hard work.”

At no cost, anyone in the community can come by and see the Bob Jones winter art show this year. It will be held on Thursday, December 7, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., next to the auditorium, followed by a choir performance in the auditorium. Friends and family are invited to come and tour the art, then participate in the silent art auction.