By Madison McKenna
The 2010 HHS Art Department Annual Honors Exhibition will soon be on display at the Cultural Arts Alliance. “Not only does the show give the students an opportunity to have their work displayed in a gallery,” explains Sandra Livis, president and executive director of the CAA, “It allows the CAA to offer the community access to great art.”

On Thursday, March 25^th, at the Cultural Arts Alliance from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, artists: Lori Crosby, Abby Markinac, Madison McKenna, Craig Muscanell, Ryan McLean, Samantha Oleson, Annelyse Reinertson, Tracy Tolf will be hosting the opening reception. The exhibit will be open for public viewing on March 27^th & 28^th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.

The annual event offers the town a chance to see what is happening behind the scenes in Hopkinton High School’s art department. The chosen students all demonstrate a passion for the arts and plan on pursuing art after graduation.

“This is not just an exhibit of student work, it is an exhibit of student work where the students play a large part in the presentation, promotion and hosting of the show,” Sandra Livis states. With minimal help from teachers, the students are responsible for organizing the show and for ensuring there will be an impressive outcome on opening night.

The exhibit also exposes student artists to the art industry, on a small scale. For several of the artists, this exhibition will be the first of many throughout a career in the arts. Annelyse Reinertson will be attending Massachusetts College of Art and Design for Illustration next year. She explains, “This will prepare me and everyone else in the show for what a real exhibit will be like when we’re all off doing our own things in art school. It’ll help us practice talking about our artwork to other people, and will enable us to absorb feedback – positive and negative.”

The Hopkinton High School and the Cultural Arts Alliance work in unison to encourage the development of young artists that will preserve the artistic talent in the town. “Part of the mission statement of the CAA is to work in collaboration with the schools and other community organizations,” claims Livis. “The CAA has often tried to partner with the schools and the students to foster interest in the arts and to encourage arts education,” explains Barb Timko, a board member of the CAA.

Timko stated, “Art has the power to reach inside of people and to change their views of the world and life. We always hope that every show will bring in a new viewer and reach them in a special way,” when asked for her perspective of the exhibition. CAA President Livis declared, “[She is] always very impressed by the students that run the show.” This year’s exhibition hopes to continue that tradition.