School Within a School English teacher Abby Erdmann was skeptical when students in Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, the SWS social action committee she advises, proposed holding an art show.
“I kind of slumped down in the back of my chair, and I was like, ‘You’re kidding. We’ve never done that. I have no idea how we’re going to hang it,’” she said. “They just had all the vision, and so then they just said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
PYMWYMI hosted its second annual BHS Art Gala on Feb. 28. The atmosphere was buzzing but casual as parents, students and teachers milled about the two fourth-floor classrooms filled with student artwork.
Paintings were put up with mounting clay around the walls, and pottery and other crafts were spread across tables and shelves. Musicians sang and played songs in one corner, and the refreshments in the hallway included made-to-order waffles complete with whipped cream and strawberries.
“I think the coffeehouse feel to it is really nice,” Erdmann said. “It’s just a hanging out night with beautiful artwork.”
The event raised money for Artists for Humanity through admissions prices and revenue from art pieces that students designated for sale.
According to Artists for Humanity Marketing Director Rich Frank, the organization’s mission is to “bridge economic, racial and social divides by providing underserved youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in the arts.”
Frank, who was on hand at the gala, said that they are the largest youth employer in the city of Boston with 300 high school-aged employees.
According to Frank, 40 percent of the organization’s $3 million budget is earned from the sale of artwork produced by students in the program. He said that, while they are trying to grow the share of their budget that comes from sales, 15 percent of their funding still comes from individual donations with the rest coming in the form of foundation grants.
“We’re just really thrilled that you even thought to have us as the beneficiary again this year of this incredible work you’re doing,” he told the people in attendance.
According to senior Julian Cranberg, who is in PYMWYMI and helped plan the event, the committee felt that Artists for Humanity served an important need.
“Because school budgets are tight and the education part seems more important, we want to help support havens like Artists for Humanity to still put a lot of emphasis on the arts,” Cranberg said.
According to senior Sam Reed, who pitched the event last year and helped with the planning, fundraising was not the only goal of the night.
“For me, it’s great to raise money for the charity, and that’s important, but aside from that, what’s important to me is getting all the art here and bringing the community together,” he said.
Both Reed and Cranberg said they saw it as a way to bridge the divide between SWS and mainstream students.
“Just because it’s on the fourth floor and it’s an SWS event, we realize that that can be a little bit exclusive, but we want to just say it’s open to everyone and that we’d love anyone who wants to put in art or wants to come,” Cranberg said.
Reed said that, although he really likes the ArtSpace, it has a limited capacity as an outlet for student pieces, and many pieces do not make it out of the classroom.
“When I go in the art room, I just see piles of art that are in shelves, or kids just put it in their cubbies and no one ever gets to see it,” he said.
Junior Nicole Strounine said that, while she didn’t know how to get her pieces into the ArtSpace, she was happy to display them in the Gala.
“I just wanted to get my work out and be seen,” she said.
Senior Amanda Farman said that she liked that the gala because it was a unique happening.
“I think it’s important because it’s the only art show here. You have sports events; there are a lot of music shows,” Farman said. “But there are usually not very many places where people who do art can display their art and have everyone get together. I just think it’s a great event.”
Aaron Sege can be contacted at [email protected].
