When thinking of artists you may think of Picasso, Da Vinci, and Van Gogh but Ripon High has its own artists too. Many of our outstanding artists were showcased at Gallery of the Arts on the night of March 13. The event had art students from all levels, choir, band, orchestra, poets, and even a special guest.
The gallery was organized and put together by many people, and of course students for their impeccable work. There were so many various pieces, not one being a copy. The students in the art classes had been drawing and painting masterpieces and they were collected by Mr. Bowers or Miss Castle, their teachers. Those in theater arts practiced for an extensive amount of time to perfect their performances. The RHS Band played background jazz the entire period. They were fantastic and many people were swaying and enjoying their time there.
A lot of artwork was displayed. Those in Art I had pencil drawings. They had still lifes, non-objectives, portraits, black and white enlargements, two point perspective buildings, hands, and glass bottles. Some students may just be starting out but they all looked amazing. In Art II they had pencil and charcoal drawings. Some pieces were master drawings, skeletons, shoe charcoal drawings, stippling with pen and ink, and more. Lastly, Art III pieces consisted of some ceramics, some pencil drawing, and much more impressive pieces. Students were also able to submit any pieces they had and wanted to showcase.
An artist who had various pieces was junior, Jada Yapp. She is currently an Art II student and enjoys art and considers it one of her favorite hobbies. “Art is a way I relax myself and I do it in my free time all the time,” Yapp stated. “I got into it when I was really young. I got influenced by my dad and I kept going and saw I was getting better and thought this is something I want to keep doing.” Her art was one of a kind, and so was each and every artist.
Before the gallery, poets auditioned to perform, those who had the pleasure to read were juniors, Gia Grewal and Skylar Pimentel and senior, Hailey Peters. They read the original poetry they wrote. During this time, parents and students were able to vote for their favorite artists and favorite poets. The winners for art were juniors, Alexa Villegas, Grewal, and Yapp. Peters won the best poet. The surprise guest was a solo violinist and published poet, Caleb Forschen. He played two beautiful pieces and read his published poem.

Ultimately, this event was a success, there were many people in attendance. This event wouldn’t have been possible without ASB, Mr. Bowers, Miss Castle, Mr. Felver, and everyone who put the time in to help. If you want to see all this amazing art, be sure to come next year and don’t be afraid to submit any you have!
“If you like art and want to pursue it, please do, it’s so fun and you can show something new about yourself,” Yapp says.