Not too long ago I included a post regarding one of the pieces in our current show, 'Melencolia' by Raegan Russell, which is a homage to the original engraving by Albrecht Durer. The piece has been significant to Raegan as both an artist and a teacher (at Berwick Academy). She saved as her last assignment for her students to use the Durer as a starting point for them to express their own ideas about melancholy. Raegan explained that melancholy in Durer's day was not seen as depression, rather as that mystical moment in time when an artist knows that they are on the verge of greatness, however, can't quite grasp their ideas.
Raegan shared some of her students' work with me and I thought I would go ahead and share them with you! Shown above is a collage by Ellie Bolster of Portsmouth, who was in Raegan's AP class and just graduated from Berwick Academy. The collage shown to the left is by Alyssa Smith, another of Raegan's AP students.Throughout the exhibition, many of Raegan's students have come in to see her work. Thoughtful and engaged, they have provided me with a positive view of today's youth... and high hopes for the future.
