WEB EXCLUSIVE A new art workshop encourages members of the community to embrace the school year’s theme of grace. 

“HeART Hour” had its first meeting on Sept. 10 led by Visual Arts Department Chair Rachel McIntire. 

“I haven’t really made the time to do art this summer, and I like the idea of having a group that I can do it with,” junior Anneli Dolan said. “I like that we all have our individual ideas, but it’s all going to be hung up together.”

The model of displayed artwork resembles the Brazilian tradition “Cordel,” or “string literature,” where books and pamphlets are hung on long strings. The first meeting’s objective was for each student to make their own cordels connecting grace and gratitude. 

“The idea with the Cordel Project is for people to make a presentation of our theme of grace and gratitude,” McIntire said. “I want to make an installation here at school.”

High School Daily Announcements listed the meeting information and a list of materials needed for the program. The necessary materials are simple and easy to find, so many students are able to participate, according to McIntire. 

“When I was reading the notice, I saw that we would need art materials, so I knew that it wasn’t going to be just a presentation,” junior Alia Mogannam said. “I was glad that we would be actively making something even if it’s on Zoom because I haven’t been able to do that for a long time since quarantine started.”

The intention of the meetings is to provide an open forum to express through art and engage in discussions as a community, according to McIntire. 

“As I was preparing for the school year, I began thinking about what else I could do as far as the art department,” McIntire said. “The thinking behind this is that art provides a space for you to engage with other people about objects and art making.”

These meetings will be monthly, according to the information sent in the announcements. McIntire says her plan is to introduce new artistic traditions to the school. 

“I hope more people come because it would be nice to have more ideas being bounced off,” Dolan said. “I feel like it was really relaxing because we were all just talking and we were all kinda at the same level.”