What do Kids Need to Make Art About?

I didn't know what to expect last week when I planned and taught a new challenge about original symbols. I hoped that my Art 1 classes of mostly freshman would leave the experience knowing a bit more about how to avoid trite symbols. I did not expect that so much of the work would be deeply personal, or that kids would be so open with their peers as they presented the work. 

In this sculpture, the dying flower - made from sheet music- represents the decline in popularity of classical music.

This work deals with the artist's experience of coming out and how her family has responded.

This student made this mixed media collage as a way to process the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas.

This student has struggled all year with confidence and this is the first piece he's finished independently. He spend days printing and searching through lyrics to find words that resonated with him, then carefully cut and pasted them to the drawing.

When she presented, this student shared how she'd lost a close friend to suicide. She made one hand out of band aids, writing on each one words that can heal.

This student juxtaposed a figure she'd cut appart with text referencing mental illness.

This student took photos of friends holding signs where they wrote words that had hurt them.

I was struck by how much of themselves my kids put into these works and how honest they were. Sharing their art in presentations was a powerful way to end the experience and it allowed them to connect with each other. Sometimes it's easy for me to forget all the serious issues that high school students deal with daily. I wonder how much they never share with anyone.