Now to be honest I don’t know a lot about art, but I was not surprised when I heard that our incredible art department was having an exclusive off campus exhibition. From Oct. 12 through the 26, the Del Mar Art Center Gallery has been hosting San Dieguito Academy’s very own student art showcase to display some of the school’s finest pieces from recent classes. These masterpieces displayed are a compilation of student artwork from mostly AP Studio Art and various other art classes taught by Kajsa Medak, Jeremy Wright and Neal Glasgow.

The students at SDA became very creative with the use of mediums, from oil, acrylic, watercolor, pens, charcoal, pencils, clay, to even burned wood. For example, senior Alana Primes thought outside the box and used a laser cutter to carve photographs into wood, which turned out beautifully on the textured surface. Senior Keaton Crow liked being able to compare the professional and student artwork side-by-side to see where the differences were and why the professional art could sell for so much. “The gallery helped me realize some of these things, but it also gave me a standard for me to start producing my work as I continue to experiment with mediums and subject matter in AP studio art, painting, and hopefully in Art College sometime next year,” he said.

Even though the school is sometimes criticized for being “artsy” and “hipster” and focusing on visual arts over supporting a football team, one can really see that those choices paid off. Each student’s unique style through art lives up to SDA’s famed label. Wear it proud SDA. If being “artsy” means having the honor of our work put up next to professional local artists, then fine by me.

On Oct. 20, there was a nice little celebration with fun snacks, the art, and artists with their families. To top off the event, a generous donation presented by one of the veteran artists, Dannette Brennan Smith, on behalf of the DMAC, to SDA Art Department for purchasing much needed art supplies for the school.

Medak thought that the event was very successful saying, “The award reception was awesome! There was a great turn-out of students and parents. It was great to see the students compare and contrast their artwork with the professional artists’ artwork in the gallery. It was also a great opportunity for the students to meet professional artists and get feedback on their work.”

Even professional artist, Smith said she was blown away by many of the students’ work. She thought that there was great potential for some of the students making their art a professional career.  Overall, it was awesome seeing what the students at the school can create and how much more they will be able to do with the equipment bought with the donations. Thanks again to the Del Mar Art Center Gallery for your generosity.

Now go check it out if you haven’t already!

The Address is:

1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014

Tuesday-Saturday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.