While many students are buckling down with caffeinated energy drinks in preparation to cram the night before finals, second semester seniors are packing their bags in anticipation of their final farewell. However, some seniors are thrilled about more than just graduation. In the art departments, many seniors are actually excited about their last project: ceiling tiles.
Senior ceiling tiles are an art class tradition started by former teacher Onca Judo about 10 years ago. Now, photography teacher Kelli Rahn embraces the opportunity to give senior students to leave their legacy for future aspiring artists to seek motivation from. Most tiles consist of the student’s name, graduation year, and intended college of attendance. Many also include a senior picture of themselves to collage in with art pieces they feel demonstrate the skills they have obtained from the course or other works they want showcased.
However, the tiles are not restricted to only photo students. Drawing and Painting classes partake in the project as well. Instead of a sort of portfolio like the photo tiles, students in physical art classes typically make the whole tile one big masterpiece. This option offers the opportunity for artists to hone in on one focus, making the subject more extravagant.
Although the tiles are promised to seniors who have completed and submitted Advanced Placement (AP) art portfolios, the art teachers have been lenient about extending the project to students who have been dedicated to the arts. Committed artists who have shown fervor and excelled past introductory level courses, moving on to studio level classes are often also extended the honor of exhibiting their craft.
While it is not a requirement, there is rarely a student who passes up the opportunity to make their mark after their time at BSM. Actually, most students look forward to the project so much that they will ask Rahn to reserve a specific tile for them, usually above their work space. This way they feel that their tile reflects the prior practice and experimentation that led to their finished product. It is also a way for students to inspire the incoming art students who might look up for inspiration from the same spot they had used. “It’s not a requirement, but I don’t often have somebody say they don’t want to do it. It’s normally the other extreme, where people are trying to reserve their tiles,” Rahn said.
Rahn is proud that her ceiling is getting full. She thinks the project is a fun, stressless way for students to continue to explore the arts and express themselves after the AP portfolios are sent. The most difficult part of the process for the students is often choosing which pieces to include in their tile.