Exploring Diverse Perspectives, by SL Arts Academy Students

Artwork by Salt Lake Arts Academy Students in Grades 7–8 • Exhibit runs from April 22–May 19.

Artists’ Statement
Salt Lake Arts Academy students are encouraged to explore their world through many different lenses, across subjects. In these pieces our Visual Arts students in Grades 7-8 express how they see and understand their world: in their own lives, in school and in our larger community. We asked our students to reflect on what is important to them and how they might communicate an idea through their own artistic creations.

Salt Lake Arts Academy is a free public charter school in downtown Salt Lake City, serving 408 students in grades five through eight. Admission is by Lottery, and is open to all students in Utah. Learn more about us at www.slarts.org.

For inspiration, students traveled to The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art to see and learn about As the Lake Fades. Our students also traveled to The City Library to observe and reflect about Reinventing Portraits-paintings from Utah’s Prison Education Program. After discussion and idea sharing, students had their choice of subject and materials to create the pieces in this exhibit, expressing their own ideas about what they see important and relevant in their surroundings.

With this experience students have had the opportunity to develop new skills, build on old ones, learn about artists of the past and present and be inspired by what artists are doing in our community. Students will also be exploring different perspectives of themselves, our community and the environment.

Artists’ Bio
Visual Art students in seventh and eighth grade at Salt Lake Arts Academy