Living Life in Color: A Celebration of the Arts at NSHAHS

This November marks the first time the North Shore Hebrew Academy High

School (“NSHAHS”) Art Department will partner with the Great Neck Library to display

students’ work from the variety of art classes offered throughout November. The show is

being installed on November 1st and will run through the 28th. You don’t want to miss

the reception, which will begin at 5:30 on November 7th.

The exhibit features various artistic styles and appeals to all tastes: from the

contemporary architecture student’s residential design to the Advanced-Placement

Studio Art student’s surrealist self-portrait to the Avante-Garde fashion student’s collage

of all things Dior, withstanding the test of time and trend. A quick look around the exhibit

will tell you that North Shore’s art curriculum accommodates students’ varied interests

and art industry trends, allowing students to engage in higher-level techniques and

develop fine-tuned technical skills. Upon graduation, students produce professional

grade portfolios to meet the admissions criteria of the country's most selective art

schools and conservatories.

The NSHAHS Art Department is bustling with creative talent eager to make

something beautiful every day. Students see, feel, think, and make aesthetic choices,

explore a variety of media, and self-evaluate as part of the studio experience. North

Shore offers courses for non-art major students and those seeking to specialize in that

area. Introductory classes include foundational multimedia experiences in the elements

of art (Line, Shape, Space, Color, Texture, and Pattern), as well as the principles of

design (Balance, Unity, Rhythm, Proportion, Color Interaction, and Relationships).

Specialized art classes seek to explore more diverging interests, such as Advanced

Placement Studio Art, Fashion Design, and Architecture.

Young artists’ goals will be achieved by integrating four components in every

course: the Creative, the Critical, the Cultural, and the Philosophical. As Ms. Alexandra

Dammacco, Chair of North Shore’s art department, explains: “The study of art is the

exploration of human creativity. Art students leave the classroom not only with an

appreciation of art but also with a sense of empowerment because they have learned to

become creative, original thinkers.”

For senior Elisheva Nassimi, art has always been a vehicle through which she

can creatively express herself: “Since freshmen year, North Shore’s Art Department has

been such a nurturing environment that enables me to explore so many different

things.” Elisheva has been studying impressionism and will continue to do so as part of

her “sustained investigation.” To keep you up-to-date on your artist’s lingo, a sustained

investigation makes up most of one’s portfolio. “It should be a cohesive body of work

that significantly explores an inquiry,” says Elisheva. The inquiry is the work created

through the process of developing, creating, revising, and exploring the idea of your

guiding question.

No matter the artist’s sustained investigation, the search for original concepts,

the integral development of technique and observational skills, and the cultivation of

respect for the elements of art and design principles all foster a sense of limitless artistic

possibilities for students at North Shore. This November, join us for a celebration of the

arts. Believe me, you’ve never seen art quite like this before! If you’re a real art

connoisseur, consider joining North Shore’s budding artists his May for their annual art

show.

Art is just too important not to share!