LHS Seniors Exhibit Work in Second Annual Art Show

 Soon-to-be graduates of l are surely looking forward to caps and gowns, but springtime is not all about anticipation and staving off senioritis.

For a few dozen members of the Class of 2011, the spring is an opportunity to exhibit their artwork in the , which opened April 27 at the Lexington Public Schools Central Office on Maple Street.

"The Senior Art Show gives our seniors an opportunity, basically, to showcase the work that they've done over the course of their four years here," said Sean Hagan, coordinator of the LHS Department of Fine Arts. "They all sort of have developed an interest in the arts, and this show is for them, to give them a capstone experience, a capstone project. ... It's a nice experience."

Inside the central office building's gymnasium/auditorium, tall, black showboards sprung from the floor. And on them the students hung their drawings, paintings and photographs.

"I really like water-color, so I knew I'd show that -- and a few photos," said Kristen Leonelli, who showed paintings of outdoor scenes and a Florence streetscape. "I really love nature, and a lot of what I paint is where I've been or somwhere I'd like to go someday."

A line of tables ran down the middle of the room, topped with bowls, masks, figurines and other ceramic creations. Up by the stage, hand-painted arrows hung on the walls, directing traffic toward a room where multimedia projects were displayed.

Also near the stage were Clara Palmer's ceramic pieces and photographs -- mediums she chose to showcase because they were classes she took recently and seriously.

Palmer and others spoke about camaraderie among fine arts students, and expressed gratituded about the opportunities available to them at LHS.

"I just really like how, in way, everyone works together because we all see each other's work," said Palmer. "We're just really lucky -- especially in ceramics -- about all of the privileges we have here."

The works on display were as eclectic as the students who made them, from delicately crafted ceramic bowls to dark and textured paintings accented by the addition of black buttons or yellow screws. There were pen-and-ink comic strips, serene nature scenes and a school of Cambrige alcoholics captured on film.

According to Annie Zeybekoglu, who teaches Drawing I and II, the senior portfolio course and Bookd Design, the diversity within the fine arts curriculum at LHS give students the chance to find out where they excel.

"The thing that's very nice," she said, "Is the students who elect to take studio art classes are usually pretty interested. For that reason, it's really fun for us as art teachers. It keeps us on our toes and it allows us to take risks and encourage our students to do the same."

The Senior Art Show opened Wednesday, April 27 and runs through May 27. Exhibit hours are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.