The senior collaborative art piece has become something of a hot-ticket item at the school’s annual game night and art auction. This year, it was the top earner, bringing in nearly $700 for the school’s WPA fund. Jocelyn Collins, Upper School art teacher, has been making the collaborative art piece with the senior class for the past three years. The idea came when the game night committee asked for student artwork as part of the auction. “It’s a great way for students to experience the nature of collaborating on a creative project, and an opportunity for them to be others-centered by donating their time and talents to our school,” she said.

The seniors spent two class periods brainstorming about the project.  They began the project by looking at other collaborative paintings for inspiration, and landed on the idea of a mural-style painting that highlights the positive elements of Memphis.  “From there, they made a list of all of the gems of our city,” said Ms. Collins. “Then they narrowed that list down to a manageable size.  They were all pleasantly surprised to see that there are more positives than they could visually convey!” Once the list was finalized, each student took responsibility for finding good visual references for each element.  Next, they worked on the composition. “This is the step that required the most problem solving,” she said.  “One of my favorite choices they made is the one to use the green line as the main unifying factor.  It weaves in and out of the painting like a ribbon and ties everything together nicely.”

Ms. Collins added, “They had a lot of fun working on this an poured many hours into its creation.  We are all grateful to Mrs. Dormois for purchasing it, and for loaning it back to Westminster.” Thanks to the generosity of Mrs. Dormois, the piece will be on display in the lobby of the school for all to enjoy.

For anyone interested, prints of the piece will be available for purchase. Look for an email with the order form soon. A full-sized 24″x36″ print will be $90 and a half-sized 12″x18″ print will be $30. Money will be due with order forms by May 5th and can be turned in at the front desk.