BHS Artists at the Alexander Black House!
- McKinley Owczarski
- Mar 19
- 3 min read
At Blacksburg Black House, another art show was hosted on March 7th, 5-8 pm. It featured several of Blacksburg High’s rising artists. The show was created and organized by Hope Callicott, Sage Stern, and Sky Standley. Sage Stern (11) came up with the idea to start a gallery show for students in the upper art classes and immediately reached out to her friends to expand on her idea.
Hope Callicott (11), one of the art show's organizers, said that this was the very first time she had heard of our school’s artists creating an art show, and she was very excited to be a part of it. The group aimed to find an appropriate place to showcase work done by some of our school’s most advanced artists. After viewing many art galleries, they decided that the Blacksburg Black House would be the best. Hope said that after they had found the venue, she, Sage, and Sky jumped right into planning and promoting the event. They hung eye-catching posters around the school and chose students in AP Art and Portfolio Prep/Art 5 to participate.
On Friday night, I saw many beautiful pieces of art. One of these pieces was created by Cora Bond (12), who described her submission as “a mixed media piece utilizing a two-part casting and molding process along with an existing silver-plated teapot on which I cast doll hands - transcending the typical view of tableware as solely functional”. While it may sound complicated and strange, it was gorgeous and unique. Cora said that it took her almost a full quarter of her Art 5 Portfolio Preparation class to complete because she was new to the casting and molding process. She declared that her motivation to enter this show was to become more familiar with 2D and 3D artists who have entered, and she also stated that it was nice to be able to showcase some of her artwork locally. When asked how many art shows she had entered in the past, Cora stated that she had never done one before, but she has been working towards showcasing her art more. She said that by submitting a piece to a show in Radford, along with the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition and exhibition, where she was awarded a Silver Key, she was well on her way to accomplishing her goal. Cora talked about how she has been doing art forever and hopes to pursue a career in fine arts, namely sculpture, starting in college.
The atmosphere was amazing, and the entirety of the art show was lively. Laughingly, the artists told me that they had been artists since birth and were planning to continue for the rest of their lives. There was much excitement and joy throughout the Black House as people admired the art and chatted with the artists. The crowd contained about thirty people, primarily parents and upperclassmen. One person I talked to while looking at a painting said, “The artists are awesome, and the art they create is extra awesome!” All of the artwork contained so much color and life. I was especially impressed with the intricate detail added to the acrylics and oil paintings.
Sky Standley (11) created three large mixed-media pieces that were so much fun to look at. One of her pieces called Pig Pile was many different pieces centered around a main piece on the wall., It was created out of foam clay, recycled clothing, pom-poms, and wire. She talked about its backstory and how the idea for the piece had been inspired by a dream that she had. Another piece that she made stretched from floor to ceiling and was made in her basement. It was also a mixed media, featuring beads, string, and rope.
All in all, the artwork shown at the Alexander Black House on March 7th was incredible and very enjoyable to look at. All of the artists created original work, and their work told fantastic stories. I’m hoping that this show will become a tradition for upper-level art classes so that we can see more of the creative and outstanding work made by Blacksburg Highs artists.
Written by Ada Gaines
Photography by Sallie Frost
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