On Mar. 30, Hereford held its annual art show to celebrate student works of art from the extensive range of classes offered.  From political cartoons to photography, to fashion, the pieces displayed demonstrated months of student hard work and talent. The fine arts department, Mr. Sam Tilman, Mr. Geoff Grace and Ms. Daria Souvorova, selected three winning senior collections and honored two junior collections out of the overwhelming talent presented to them in each category: photography, digital art and studio art.  

Students were excited to support their friends and what they are passionate about, while also getting to experience something new beyond sports or clubs.  

“I really like seeing everyone’s artwork up together,” Shari Atkins (‘23), photography award winner, said. “It was really cool to see everyone’s work from different classes and see how talented the school is.” 

Digital art award winner Garrett Ready (‘24) was inspired by things he saw online, and when he gets a topic for an assignment, he thinks of ways to create a piece that would stand out. He also values the input of other artists who can give him critiques to better his ideas. He plans to keep working with different mediums of arts as well as different styles to help himself evolve. 

Similarly, studio art award winner Sophie Hao (‘23) experimented with new mediums this year to expand her artistic skills and make her works more understandable. 

“Usually, I will try a new material or composition and from there I try to apply a more universal idea to it, that way it is more relatable,” Hao said. 

Many of the student collections also featured an artist statement where the artists explained their processes and how they came up with the subjects of their pieces.  

“I’m inspired by things like my dreams and things I see every day, and just things that I find interesting, and I want to document,” Atkins said. 

Art is an outlet for people, so being able to hear what they want to present in their pieces allows the audience to fully understand the message artists are trying to portray.  

“A lot of my art centers around people’s relationships and perceptions of self-image,” Hao said. 

The art show is a way for students to showcase their hard work and dedication to their craft. Here are the students who were selected in each category as exemplary artists. 

Photography: (1st) Shari Atkins, (2nd) Jesse Birdsall, (3rd) Eliza Brennan, (rising juniors) Haylie Katz and Graham Mathews 

Digital art: (1st) Georgia Naden, (2nd) Ori Ingram, (3rd) Annette Mercado-Williams, (rising juniors) Connor McGonigle and Garrett Ready 

Studio art (1st) Sophie Hao, (2nd) Eavan Bellows, (3rd) Milo Kolb, (rising juniors) Fiona Mulloney and Ava Ware