Every morning as I stroll into school, the banner-like signs which now cover the fence by the trailers, catch my eye. Initially, I see the classic black and white photographs of our school’s namesakes, Edna Jackson and Vincent Reed. While I am always happy to be reminded of our school’s R.O.A.R. values, which the following sign displays, the banners filled with student artwork are what really grab my attention. 

Sophomore Rowan McCrary created the impressive sculpture, pictured in the fourth banner. Assigned to create an animal using an unconventional surface, McCrary sculpted a hippopotamus inspired by the moon’s craters.

McCrary’s process to create this sculpture began by researching the anatomy of a hippopotamus. Using thick aluminum wire, she created a vague shape of the animal. Through adding cardboard and molding the face, McCrary’s hippopotamus began to come alive. 

By employing a process similar to paper mache, McCrary cut dry plaster into strips that were then dipped in water. “The plaster had to be rubbed out into a paste to hide the texture of the gauze and you can build it up in certain areas to fix any irregularities in the cardboard and add extra details,” McCrary describes. This plaster was used to create the detailed moon craters and the base of the sculpture. 

Approaching the building further, the intricate and colorful designs of the next banner draw (no pun intended) me in. Senior Zora Pauk created this complex world, containing a brightly colored mix of aliens, traffic cones, and other space-like visuals, simply using colored pencil. 

“I tend to make things with an element of surrealism and fantasy, so my piece was sort of an alien or otherworldly type thing, trying to create a world that the viewer could explore,” Pauk explains. You can check out more of Pauk’s work at @fresno_nightcrawler_art!

As I enter the school building, I see a banner of a photo, displaying Jackson-Reed crew’s oar. As I step closer, I realize that the banner is a drawing, not a photo!

Junior Aniset Idriss created this hyper realistic visual as part of her AP Art portfolio, aptly titled: “Why do I row?”. 

“In this piece specifically, I tried to answer it through showing the beautiful, peaceful aspect of the sport,” she notes.

Idriss began her creation by initially sketching the oar, filling it in with colored pencil, and adding white liquid pastel to create the illusion of sunshine reflecting on water. 

Tucked behind the fence is the final banner, which shows hands holding a rose, covered with patterns developed from Avram Walter’s printmaking classes. Each student was assigned to create a stamp, with a unique Adinkra symbol. Adinkra symbols are West African symbols that represent various concepts of life. The work of Hank Willis Thomas inspired Walter to instruct his students to use the prints to create hands holding a flower. 

While both Pauk and Idriss were told in advance that their artwork was going to be on display, McCrary didn’t know until her friend pointed it out, saying it looked similar to something McCrary had been working on. “I had no idea they were going to put up my artwork, it was actually really funny walking outside of school and seeing it.”