20th Annual High School Self Portrait Show
View the gallery here (TBA)
It is hard to fathom teaching via a virtual meeting, especially when the subject is art. The teachers and students of our local area high schools figured out to how to make it work and we were thrilled to host the 20th annual High School Self Portrait Show in June at The Hacker Lab in Midtown. The show was on display for view by appointment during the month of June, and we celebrated in true midtown style with a 2nd Saturday Artists’ Reception and Awards Ceremony.
Students, families, and the community wore masks to enter The Hacker Lab gallery space in small groups to allow for safe social distancing and to adhere to local capacity restrictions for indoor events. We set up chairs in the parking lot out front for the awards ceremony and did our best to stay cool and hydrated.
While the setting and the health protocols made it different than past years one thing we can always count on is the tremendous talent in our community. We are grateful to all the students and their families who participated and especially to art teachers – we love and support what you do!
Save the date for April 2022: 21st Annual High School Self Portrait Show!
About the High School Self Portrait Show
This annual event was started by James Ferry, of the 20th Street Art Gallery, and Findlay McIntosh, Art Teacher at Christian Brothers High School, in 2001, as a way to showcase the self-portraits of high school artists within our region.
Athletes have games, actors put on shows, and musicians have concerts, but visual artists have few opportunities to showcase their work in a professional setting. The High School Self-Portrait Show gives the very best high school artists a chance to display their art for the Sacramento community.
High school teachers throughout the Sacramento area assign a Self Portrait project to their students, and choose a few from each class to submit for the show. The show is displayed for the community in a gallery, and a cohort of local artists, art educators, and the Chalk It Up executive board choose the award winners. Awards are provided by Chalk It Up for Best in Show, Best in Medium, etc.
Thank you to James Ferry (1933 – 2020) for starting this tradition. Special thanks to Findlay McIntosh of Christian Brothers High School, and the Hacker Lab, for keeping this annual tradition alive.
High School Art Teachers – contact us at info@chalkitup.org if you have any questions. Interested students should speak to their art teacher for more information.