Unexpected art projects are the new talk of the halls
Out in the courtyard of Fossil, another statue grasps the ledge, hanging from the balcony.
March 9, 2023
As Spring Break nears students finish their finals or midterms, aching to leave and go to the beach or simply just sleep in. Hoping for their time of escape, now a new population has joined them.
The current sculpture class for Fossil Ridge High School created life-like plastic characters starting at the end of February, choosing the last week of Quarter 3 to display them. The light-hearted inspiration being them escaping the school or taking actions to the extreme.
Mary Tarantine, a visual arts teacher, is proud to see how much recognition the designs are receiving since going up. The students’ progress was an interesting process to follow, “It was cool to see them slowly become more lifelike as they went,” Tarantine says.
The process began with the students breaking out into groups, one the dedicated model. “One person from their group is being wrapped in plastic and then they cut off the plastic and then re-tape it until it forms this whole human figure,” Tarantine explains.
Adelaide Kick was a model for her group, she says, “It was slightly awkward to get wrapped in layers of plastic and tape, but overall was a fun process to watch our figure grow, limb by limb.”
They often catch the eyes of unexpecting students, whether being shared in a text message or discussed in the hallways.
The original goal, after discussing with Dr. Chaplain, the school principal, was to take the projects down before Quarter 4 begins. Although, after the positive feedback and how the sculptures quickly became a hot commodity, Tarantine hopes to extend the deadline.
The goal was to have the figures high enough so they could not be destroyed but currently, an upper body located on the west side of the commons is lowered enough for students to touch.
“People can like high-five it which wasn’t originally part of the plan, but it kind of worked out,” Tarantine says.
They have become interactive for students and have yet to be destroyed.
For the upcoming years, Tarantine is very excited to continue this project, as it has been not only a success with fellow students but by the students who created it as well.
“I love seeing how the other groups from our class took their own spin on the project and chose creative poses and locations,” Kick says.
