On Thursday, March 28, Archie Williams held its third annual Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Art Exhibit in the Student Center. Archie Williams art teacher Nicole Mortham organized the event with the help of the Students Taking Action for Anti-Racism (STAAR) program, it lasted from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and featured vibrant student artwork and live music from the Archie Williams Jazz Band.
This year’s theme was “Archie Perspectives,” BIPOC students used their individual life experiences and perspectives from their past to create their art. Artists shared their works through various art forms, including drawing, painting, sculpting, and crafts. Approximately 20 students displayed their artwork at the exhibit, allowing for a variety of artistic expression and attendee engagement.
Senior Jorge Castillo participated in this year’s art show and aimed to connect with visitors by showing parts of his childhood through painting.
“Most of my pieces are memories from my childhood, students with similar backgrounds [will] be able to relate and identify with them,” Jorge said.
Jazz Band musician, sophomore Ryan Cunningham, performed at the exhibition, following the event’s inclusive and celebratory theme by playing jazz songs created by BIPOC artists. Through this choice, the Jazz Band hoped to celebrate BIPOC individuals’ contributions to music.
“We are trying to represent the BIPOC aspect of jazz music by playing lots of songs written by BIPOC artists,” Ryan said.
Mortham was inspired to organize the exhibit to display her BIPOC students’ artwork and stories. This was Mortham’s first year as an organizer for this event, and for this year’s exhibition, she wanted to emphasize how art can connect people of different identities and cultures.
“Art communicates thoughts, experiences, and stories that go beyond the limitations of language. I hope visitors to this show can appreciate the unique experiences and visions of our artists here at Archie,” Mortham said.
This year’s BIPOC art exhibition had the same goal as the two previous annual events, “Our Ancestor’s Wildest Dreams” and “Viewing the World in Different Perspectives”, but in this year’s event artists had more freedom with their art. The exhibition focused on giving the creators artistic license and showing visitors unique perspectives from the artists without a specific artistic theme to adhere to.
Mortham thanks the Falcon Foundation for their financial support in this year’s exhibition, as well as their overall contributions to the art programs at Archie Williams. She believes that creating a culturally conscious and celebratory campus is important and events like these can help promote the importance of diversity in school campuses.
