Visual Arts and Digital Arts & Photography calendar arranged by visual teacher Erica Prince. Photo courtesy of @dreyfoosvigitals

Streaks of blue, purple, and pink consume the page, forming two faces painted with 1920s burlesque-style makeup, complete with colored eyeshadow, mascara, defined lip lines, and cheekbone contour. Considering the artwork was created by visual junior Isabella Ramon as a regular assignment for her printmaking class, she assumed it would be tucked away in a file cabinet or “hung up on a wall in (her) teacher’s classroom.”

“When I made that piece, never in a million years did I think it would be in a calendar able to be purchased by the general public,” Ramon said.

The calendar is the first of its kind for the visual arts and digital arts and photography departments, with each page displaying a different original student artwork. 

“When choosing works to include in the calendar, we wanted pieces that could be appreciated by the largest audience possible,” visual teacher Erica Prince said. “We wanted work that was sophisticated, skillful, and something that people would want to hang up in their homes.”

Ms. Prince spearheaded the conceptualizing, planning, and creating of the project, working with alumni, including professional graphic designer and Class of 2007 alumna Alana Schuler, to create and assemble the inaugural edition of the calendar. The calendars serve as fundraising tools for the visual arts and digital arts and photography departments, with Ms. Prince asserting that “every calendar sold directly funds (the departments’) materials budget,” and serves as a tool to highlight student-produced work.  

“The idea came about last year when (English teacher Peggy) Mellon came to me because she had a fundraising calendar that she had been purchasing every year for a print studio,” Ms. Prince said. “We were looking for some sort of fundraiser for our department that could be an annual tradition, so the calendar idea was born.”

For Roman, the idea that her classroom assignment could be seen and purchased by students, faculty, parents, and the general public came as a surprise. The piece itself was inspired by the juxtaposition between a burlesque performer’s “joyful, dramatic” on-stage persona and their “sad, emotional” personal life, Roman said. 

“My teacher (Ms. Prince) asked me if I wanted my piece to be included in the calendar,” Roman said. “I didn’t even know what it was at first. Then, she told me my piece got accepted, and I started to realize how big a deal it was when the calendars were mentioned on the morning announcements. I felt seen, like more people were going to be looking at my art.” 

Ms. Prince noted that because this was the first time the department assembled a calendar, they decided to use a combination of work created by current juniors, current seniors, and alumni. In fact, one of the featured pieces was created by a junior (Ramon), five by seniors, and six by alumni. For future editions of the calendar, Ms. Prince wants to focus more on showcasing work from current students.

“Nothing is made new specifically for the calendar,” she said. “It is more of a beautiful cross-section of works created throughout the years for different school projects or senior shows.”

The 12 featured pieces, including Roman’s artwork on the October page, were pulled from multiple forms of artistic media, including prints, paintings, photos, sculptures, and digital designs. Theatre sophomore Emma Faith Bussi, who purchased a calendar, says she noticed the range of art pieces included.

“I loved looking at all the different styles of art on the calendar, which I was able to see on the (visual arts and digital arts and photography department’s) Instagram,” Bussi said. “It’s kind of like seeing a window into the artists’ imagination, which really shows their creativity.”

Seeing her piece next to work from other students and alumni inspired Roman to experiment more and “expand her artistic boundaries.” 

“I didn’t expect anyone outside of my class to view the piece, so seeing it in the calendar was kind of surreal,” Roman said. “It makes me think about how people interpret art differently, and it pushes me to be more thoughtful about the details I include in my art.”

The collection brings together years of student work in a single project, thus offering a new way for the school community to engage with the arts and support students in the visual arts and digital arts and photography departments. The calendar lays the foundation for an annual tradition that can continue to grow and support the departments’ needs. 

“The calendars provide such a special opportunity for parents and supporters to live with the work of our incredible artists,” Ms. Prince said. “While raising money is critical and the ultimate goal, getting our departments’ work more out there is always great.”

Calendars can be purchased using the following link: https://soafi.org/product/VADAPCalendar/visual-arts-and-digital-arts-photography-calendar