Berkeley High School’s Arts and Humanities Academy’s (AHA) Art Exhibition on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 showcased the AHA student body’s adeptness and dedication toward their craft. The small school partnered with the Kala Art Institute to set up an exhibit for AHA students to display their art to their friends, family, peers, and the broader community.
The exhibition consisted of a large variety of different styles and mediums of work, ranging from pencil sketches, photography, paintings, and prints to textiles and quilting, as seen in the junior class interdisciplinary project. The one constant throughout the vast range of pieces displayed across every wall of the exhibition space was the high level of quality, craftsmanship, and creativity seen throughout the bustling room.
The junior class Interdisciplinary Project titled “There to Here: Immigration Narratives,” combined elements from the AHA junior year history, english, and science classes to achieve their final art piece. AHA juniors contributed to the two group quilts depicting textile portraits of friends and family members who immigrated to the Bay from across the globe.
BHS juniors Yelitza Brusatori-Salazar, Chris Paredes Taylor, and Jason Dejean Campbell worked to create their quilt square depicting Brusatori-Salazar’s mother, Melina Salazar, and her immigration journey from Peru to Berkeley. The group included images of the beach, ocean, the sun, and a bright orange peach.
“Peaches are a big scent for my mom because growing up she was around a farm,” Brusatori-Salazar said. “Peaches remind her of her life there.”
The other works were mostly made by AHA seniors who all contributed two to four pieces that conveyed a certain topic. These artworks varied greatly between themes, styles, and mediums.
AHA senior Xaro Kaufman used the imagery of different warped faces, shapes, and lines to create their conceptual Prismacolor drawings.
“Whatever emotions I’m having in the moment are kind of infused into the artwork when I’m creating it,” Kaufman said. “My artwork is full of lots of different colors and shapes that are kind of abstract in different ways.”