N.B. art gallery puts local students in the spotlight

Highlighting artist talent, local artists and up-and-comers in the community, the Moncton Gallery has put high school students in the spotlight with its latest exhibit.

“I think it’s really great and I love that it’s not just me,” said Harrison Trimble Grade 12 student, Bailey Haydon Leger.

“I think it’s great that other students have been selected for this and we can kind of be a community and I can be amongst them and it’s really something to be chosen and I think this is hopefully inspiring for other artist that want to get out there and showcase what they have.”

As part of its High School Seniors showcase, local students from six different schools in the Greater Moncton area have filled the space bringing an array of pieces that all tell a different story.

The Moncton Gallery has put local students into the spotlight with its High School Seniors Exhibit. (Alana Pickrell/CTV Atlantic)

“It’s probably my favourite thing that I’ve ever made,” said Haydon Leger, who painted a piece from his favourite TV show, Twin Peaks.

“Basically it’s a screen capture from, I believe, the last episode of season 2 and anyway, it’s my favourite show of all time and it’s a really beautiful composition with the red fabric and the mysterious and I think it’s just a beautiful capture so I wanted to honour that and paint it.”

Yasmin Shaheen has a water colour drawing on display for the public to see.

“It’s a multi-view self portrait, so it has three views of my face – a front view, a quarter view and a side view,” she said.

Adding, “I’m really impressed by it because I never knew that I could draw this way, but I guess I was just lucky that it turned out to look really nice and it kind of looks like me too, to an extent, you could recognize me from the painting, so it just makes me happy to see it.”

She said when her art teacher first mentioned the art show at the beginning of the year, she never expected to make it in.

“I was like ‘oh I’m not going to make this, I should just worry about my course in school,’ but recently he told us that we did make it and I just felt really honoured. Almost proud of myself to make it to this point,” she said.

 The Moncton Gallery has put local students into the spotlight with its High School Seniors Exhibit. (Alana Pickrell/CTV Atlantic)

The exhibit is on display until April 25 with a special reception on April 9 to honour and celebrate the students.  

It’s a showcase of not only their talent, but the support that surrounds them as aspiring artist.

“It’s amazing,” said Shaheen.

“It’s really nice that there’s support for, not just young artists, but also local artists because we live in a small city so there’s not a lot of big opportunities, not a high chance of being recognized or being discovered I guess, so this is a good way for us to showcase our artwork and our talent.”

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

Grade 11 student, Allyson Chiasson also has a piece on display from Harrison Trimble High School.

She is showcasing a monochrome portrait of a woman in red and pinks.

For her, she knows this is a skill that will follow her through life.

“Creativity in art is underestimated, I find, in a lot of careers and stuff and it’s always good to have that kind of side hobby, especially with different careers like science and English courses for example, creativity is one of the most important components in it in my opinion,” she said.

She’s been an artist for her entire life and she hopes this exhibit can have a positive impact, just like art does for all of the artist who are featured.

“I think if other people can view the art and appreciate it, it kind of brings communities closer,” she said.

The Moncton Gallery is free to attend.

Participating schools this year include:

• Bernice MacNaughton
• Ecole L’Odyssee
• Harrison Trimble
• Moncton High
• Riverview High
• Salisbury Regional

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.