The Waukesha State Bank Art Gallery Presents: Waukesha South High School

The artworks in this exhibit were created by art students at Waukesha South High School. The thirty-three-day project challenged students to briskly produce artworks inspired by Moisés Kaufman’s play, 33 Variations. Various mediums and materials were explored.

The use of sheet music was a popular collage material. In Collection of Diabelli Variations, the student listened to the entire set, purchased the sheet music, and highlighted four variations by their tempo/mood. Master of Music was completely built with bits of sheet music in the likeness of Beethoven. Overall, sheet music and other paper products created a rich texture to the surfaces of many artworks.

Students examined certain themes to guide their work. Some students incorporated thirty-three components into their work such as flowers and human heads. To many, the brain symbolized ALS, the vehicle for creativity, or physical ability. The color blue was also used to represent the disease. The ear symbolized hearing loss; the heart symbolized energy and passion despite deteriorating physical abilities. Warm colors were used to show intensity and creative energy.

Some students took a personal approach by relating to their own specialty or uniqueness. In the piece, Hearing…My Wings, the student incorporated her ear/hearing aid in place of the painted eye which was a portrait-style jewelry fad of the late 1700’s. Another showcased her creativity in a painting of her trumpet.

Even though the subject matter was interpreted individually and described in a compartmentalized way, an overall commonality existed: passion and creativity endure.

Theresa Leal

Art Instructor