Greensburg Salem art students display work at Seton Hill gallery, gain 'authentic' experience

After four months of brainstorming, sketching and developing a portfolio of artwork, nine Greensburg Salem High School students’ art is on display at the Seton Hill Art Center.

The art show, displayed in Seton Hill’s Jodee Harris Gallery, is considered the final exam for Greensburg Salem’s AP Art and Portfolio class — a college-level course in which juniors and seniors dedicate the semester to developing a series of artwork guided by a theme of their choice.

Using mediums including paintings and sculpture, students have executed themes like Korean culture and analogue music. Others have delved into reflective questions — using their art to show what would happen to the planet if humans ceased to exist or how people are shaped by the positive and negative experiences of their K-12 education.

For teacher Darryl Audia, the course gives students an authentic artistic experience.

“It’s definitely frustrating. I know at this point, I’m sure they’re happy it’s coming to an end,” Audia said with a laugh.

“But anytime you do something difficult that takes a lot out of you emotionally, you’re glad at the end (when) you can see the fruit of your labor.”

Emily Franicola, director of the gallery at Seton Hill, credited Audia for the work in pulling the elements of the show together.

“Darryl Audia did a wonderful job in preparing the students and the work for the days of install,” she said via email. “There is a lot of work exhibited in a relatively small space, so I was available to the students to provide some tips and tricks for hanging work and rearranging pieces to better utilize the space.”

This is Audia’s first year teaching the class, but his wife, Kelley Audia, taught it for 16 years. The couple has worked together to develop art programs in the district for more than two decades.

The students are responsible for each step, Audia said — from developing their theme and creating pieces on deadline to installing their pieces in the gallery and writing an artist’s statement.

‘They’re in a gallery that professional artists show at a university that’s respected for their art program,” Audia said, noting students in previous years have displayed their portfolios at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art on Greensburg’s Main Street.

Franicola said the students were open to suggestion and showed support for one another as the display was built.

“At the surface, these students are learning how to curate objects in a space, and the proper technique for displaying them,” she said. “But even more importantly, they are learning ways to communicate a story or message to the world in a visual way, and that is a skill they can take into any career they pursue.”

Some students will take the AP Art and Portfolio exam and submit their portfolios to the College Board for review in the coming weeks, which could earn them college credits.

But Audia believes the course benefits even the students who choose not to pursue a career in art.

“Our motivation for teaching this class is to give them a real-world experience so that, whether they decide to pursue this as a career or hobby or whatever, they don’t hesitate,” he said.

“We don’t always go to college for things that we love. My hope is — before wishing or hoping they go to college for it — my hope would be that they are always makers throughout their life.”