Amidst the icy January air, a show is brewing in the brick buildings of the Williston Northampton School. Earlier this December, senior Kira Wilson requested to curate an art exhibit in the Grubbs Gallery. Wilson will be the first student curator the Grubbs gallery has ever had. She will be taking on this role of leadership for the first time, giving her a taste of the interesting profession.

On display from May 2nd to May 12th, the exhibit will feature a myriad of artists all circulating Wilson’s theme “Perceptions.” Each artist has the artistic liberty to create anything from their unique perspective. Wilson asked her artists to work in a subject that they are truly passionate about. She hopes that her show will be “a culmination of all the different students perceptions of their passions; so It is not just a collection of art [but] a collection of their ideas.”

The idea of ‘Perceptions’ relates to the diverse Williston community. Kira Wilson, an artist herself, expresses why she was attracted to curating. “Rather than just focusing on your own work and your own ideas; trying to understand other peoples work and where they’re coming from seems a lot more interesting in some ways”, she explained. The loose theme of ‘Perception’ will yield an array of the perspectives of each and every artists creating an exhibit of the minds.

A curators job is to organize every aspect of an art show, including the conceptualization of the idea. Art Director and teacher Ms. Natalie Hume describes the curation process, “Group shows can be organized in a variety of ways…Using a theme allows for … the widest range of styles and media.” She further explains, “However, sometimes shows are organized around processes (all prints, or photographs, etc.) or around subject matter (still lifes, nature, etc.).”

A curator is especially important during group shows exhibiting more than one artist. According to Ms. Hume the Grubbs Gallery has hosted group art shows of outside artists featuring guest curators in the past. The Grubbs Gallery art exhibits are constantly changing between different local artists.

Ms. Hume notes, “I try to choose artists whose work will fit with our curricula in some way… The local art scene is very vibrant and I usually hear of artists through word of mouth or through seeing their work in other area galleries.”

Throughout the course of Wilson’s curation experience she has a distinct opportunity to further her involvement in the community of artists around us.

Join Kira Wilson and the participating artists at the open reception to the public on Thursday, May 5th, from 5-6:30.