Open Studio Night & Concert 2023: A Celebration of Culture and Creativity
For one night only, Atlantis’s student center was transformed into an exhibition hall, for a celebration of culture and creativity.
Families, friends and members of the community were invited to Atlantis’s Open Studio Night and Concert on Thursday, May 18. The event was a collaboration between students in grades 7-12 and the Career Academy and Specialist (Art, Music, Theater, PE) faculty and staff.
“This generation has been living inside a box because of COVID-19, in their rooms, on phones, TVs and Chromebooks. This year, we challenged students to think outside of the box and the results were impressive,” said Arts and Culture instructor Deborah Pacheco. “Students took assignments from their specialist teachers and used some of the technology available to them at school such as MacBooks, iPads, Cricut Makers and 3D printers to create something new.”
Seniors Riley Dupre and Hanadi Termos worked with Pacheco for months to plan the event as their senior capstone project. They created digital floor plans for the six open studio spaces and produced flyers, parent emails and other event notifications.
The night featured dozens of pieces of art, sculpture, photography, class projects, live performances and demonstrations by Atlantis students and staff. Guests were invited to engage with the students and ask questions. Pacheco says one guest was so impressed by the students’ work that he purchased three pieces of art.
Students put on a fashion show, bringing sketches created by other student artists in a fashion illustration class to life. They created nearly a dozen outfits and modeled them during the show. One student even made her own dress for prom.
Juniors Joewell Noze, Diante Durden and Roman Bennett created their own music soundtracks using Logic Pro, a digital audio workstation for recording, editing and mixing music. The students performed songs, showed guests how songs are recorded and even let the guests record their own tracks.
“I’ve been passionate about music for a long time,” Durden said. “I enjoy many different genres of music, from R&B to hip hop. This program has made it easier for me to achieve my dream.”
The night culminated with a performance by Atlantis’s student rock band Leviathan. The band, under the direction of STEM Academy instructor Jared Booker, entertained the crowd. The band wore t-shirts made by senior Hailey Furtado using the Cricut Maker 3, a powerful craft machine that can cut a variety of materials, including vinyl. The band’s logo on the t-shirt was designed by junior Rylee Shepard, a talented artist who exhibited dozens of art pieces at the show, including digital art, mixed media and traditional art.
“I could not be prouder of the students and teachers who participated in this event,” Pacheco said. “I hope everyone who attended left with a better picture of the learning experiences that take place within the walls of Atlantis Charter School.”