Foothill’s art department held its annual art show Friday night featuring student work and live music to an audience of around 160 people.

“The beauty of art is getting to share it with people,” art teacher Justin Frazier said.

Frazier described the annual show as having started as a “little thing in the black box” six years ago and was happy to see that this year had such a “huge turnout.”

Along with several wooden panels that held photography and artwork, chalk art created at Foothill’s first chalk festival Thursday and Friday was displayed and auctioned off.

All 13 chalk pieces were sold, raising $415 for Foothill’s fine art department.

Freshman Canela Lopez, who was moved into Art II after Frazier saw her work, says that she thinks that the art program needs more funding.

“It’s always barely enough,” Lopez said.

One of the main reasons Lopez feels that the art program is important and needs more money is because it allows people from different backgrounds to bond over a shared interest.

“Art is really close-knit,” Lopez said. “There’s people I would never talk to but when we’re talking about art, we can become friends.”

Though he is not currently enrolled in an art class at Foothill, junior Anthony Khodanian says this type of atmosphere is one of the main reasons he is joining the department next year.

“I believe this environment at Foothill is a very friendly place for creativity to flourish,” Khodanian said.

Frazier believes that the show provides the opportunity for students to share this creativity and he enjoys being able to take a step back and appreciate his students’ work.

“I get to use a different lens, not my teacher lens, but my lens as a viewer of art,” Frazier said.

Throughout the show, different student musicians performed. Senior Taylor Kennepohl started off singing and playing her guitar. Senior Saydie Grewe performed next and also sang while playing her guitar. Seniors Connor Fenwick and Daven Gonzalez followed Grewe and juniors Stephen Mariani, André Sehati, Marnie Vaughan, and Annabelle Warren closed the night.

Grewe, who is in Art II, didn’t submit any art for the show because Frazier told her that she could sing instead.

“[Music] is more my art than art class,” Grewe said.

Foothill alumni Timmy Heague was impressed with the event.

“Honestly, it’s the coolest one I’ve seen and the live music is great,” Heague said. “I’m sad that I had to experience this as an alumni and not as a student.”

Quinn Fenwick, father of Connor and freshman Ava Fenwick, was also surprised with the quality and amount of work at the show.

“What surprises me is that there’s so many kids,” Quinn said. “There’s a small thriving art community here which I didn’t expect.”

Quinn said that he’s noticed a dramatic change in Ava’s art.

“Until she went here, she never did it,” Quinn said. “She made some pretty rapid growth, her skill level went from that of a kid and now you can see some style.”

Like Fenwick, Lucy Harper, mother of senior Matt Zinik, said that she’s seen how much the photography class has helped Zinik.

“He was so interested in photography before the classes and the classes just tapped into his creativity and have helped him grow as a photographer.”

Credit: Anaika Miller/The Foothill Dragon Press