WSHS Art Student of the Month For January

The West Salem High School Art Department is proud to announce that Tori Hansen is the Art Student of the Month for January.  She works in a variety of media including drawing, painting, graphic design and sculpture.  Her work is well-planned and full of detail.  Tori's art will be on display at the Marie W. Heider Center for the Arts through the month of January.  Congratulations Tori!

Elementary School Artwork to be displayed at the La Crosse Public Library for Youth Art Month

WSHS November Art Student of the Month

West Salem High School Art Student of the Month

The West Salem High School Art Department is proud to announce that Kendall Kranz is the Art Student of the Month for November.  Kendall's work is in digital photography, which he has honed his skills in during his time at WSHS.  His photos show an affinity for tone, color and contrast.  Composition comes naturally to Kendall, he has an inherent understanding of how to frame a shot.  His timing is impeccable--he always seems to put himself in the right place at the right time to get a photo that is unique and stunning.  His work will be in the Marie W. Heider Center for the Arts throughout the month of November.  Congratulations on your exhibit Kendall!

WSHS Art Student Wins National Honor!

West Salem Senior Julia Schomberg recently was named Second Runner up in the Dr. Seuss "Oh the Places You'll Go" National Scholarship search.  Her work was voted one of the top three out of 140 finalists nationwide.

To enter this scholarship, Julia was required to submit an original work that was based on her interpretation of the book "Oh the Places You'll Go".  Her work, "As the Crow Flies" (above), was submitted to the Scholarship Committee. 

Here are the Committee's comments on Julia's work:

"Clever use of materials, the map being flipped onto the side to make it less readable, acting more as a visual background...The ambiguity of the meaning of the crow in different cultures, as a good or bad omen, in this case symbolizes both the positive and negative aspects of Seuss' story."

 For her efforts, Julia will receive a framed Oh, the Places You’ll Go! limited
edition print from The Art of Dr. Seuss collection.  Congratulations Julia!

West Salem High School's Art Student of the Month for April

 



The West Salem High School Art Department is pleased to announce that Calista D. is the Art Student of the Month for April. 

Calista's work represents her calm demeanor.  There is a certain sophistication to it--paring down the subject to a singular image, and not 'muddying the waters' with layers of superfluous imagery.  Often, the work is contrasted by a plain background, allowing the message to "breathe."  While the presentation of her art appears simplified and straightforward, the content/context of her artwork often contains a myriad of layers.  In Calista's case the artist's message is more entangled in metaphor and personal experience than the presentation of the art would have you believe.

Her work concentrates on a simple presentation, with many layers of interpretation.

Among the pieces in the Marie W. Heider Center for the Arts Gallery is Calista's 'fingerprint' series. These are enlarged versions of her fingerprints, created with different materials.  Congratulations Calista!

West Salem High School Visual Arts Classic Team is heading to State!

On Friday, March 9th, the West Salem Visual Arts Classic team participated in the Regional Competition at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.  This team of 12 High School students competed against 7 other area schools (Tomah, Cashton, Black River Falls, Viroqua, Onalaska, La Crosse Central, and La Crosse Logan).

The team created individual artwork, and also competed in 2 team-related categories-- the Art History Quiz Bowl and the Team Critical Thinking competition.  Scores in the individual and team categories were tallied to determine the winner of the Regional Competition.

West Salem swept in the 2 team categories, earning first place ratings in both.  Their individual artwork scores were also used to determine an overall champion.  The West Salem High School VAC team was the overall champion, and will advance to the State Competition in April.  This is the fourth year in a row that West Salem has won the Regional and advanced to the State Competition.