By Nabi Dressler

Editor-in-Chief

Along with the library’s transition from school hang-out to Knights’ Learning Center, a handful of tape-cast sculptures have popped up on the bookshelves that have also garnered students’ attention. As a two-year member of Art Club, junior Diana Flores was one of the students who constructed the figures.

Art Club began working on the tape sculptures last school year, and the project was completed this year.

According to second-year Art Club sponsor Jonathan Pruc, the tape-cast sculptures that brought excitement to the librarians were concocted similarly to how casts for broken bones are made. First, someone’s arm was wrapped in plastic wrap. Next, this was covered in about four or five layers of tape, then cut out. A seam was made down the center and the figure was taped back together.

The finished figures are “Frankenstein-esque,” according to Pruc, because different people made up the limbs of each figure, with “some limbs longer and fuller than others.” A mannequin was used for the faces.

This project is just one of numerous projects Art Club embarks on throughout the school year.

Last year, Flores got to do paper marbling and create mini sketchbooks with different types of paper, among other things.

This year, Art Club used special effects makeup to create effects like scars in the spirit of Halloween. Some projects are group-intensive, while others are geared towards individual work. Students aren’t required to work on their projects outside of Art Club but are welcome to allot time outside of the club meetings do so. Art Club is planning to either tye dye or screen-print T-shirts towards the end of the year.

Art Club’s projects aren’t predetermined by Pruc but instead decided based on members’ ideas; Art Club’s endeavors are community-based, where everyone discusses what they want to do and the projects are developed by Pruc based on this.

Flores’ favorite part of Art Club, though, is being with the people in the club. According to Flores, there are both “diehard art people” whose lives center around art and students simply interested in art and learning new techniques.

While Flores has been passionate about art since she was young and works on her personal series of artworks one or two hours daily, she stresses that art experience isn’t necessary to join Art Club.

No matter what the skill level, all students are welcome to join Art Club at any time and is an option for both students enrolled in art classes or students who can’t find the time to take a formal art class during the school year.

Freshman Sydni Rotunno’s interest in joining Art Club stemmed from her love for drawing that she fostered in junior high.

“I really like to draw so I thought I’d do something art-related at Prospect,” Rotunno said. “I didn’t have a drawing outlet here because I didn’t have enough [time for art electives] so I thought Art Club would be a good idea.”

Rotunno plans on taking a Prospect art class in the future and intends on being in Art Club throughout high school.

“Art Club is for students who are in art classes and want some extra creative outlet or students who are unable to take an art class but still want to create something,” Pruc said. “We don’t do any assignments that we cover in class, so students can’t just [join] Art Club and get the art experience. To get the full experience and to really learn and grow, one would have to take the class, but this is kind of just supplementary, and we get to do stuff in Art Club that we wouldn’t necessarily have time to or the materials for the regular art class.”

Flores encourages students whose packed schedules leave their school days void of an art class to join Art Club in order to engage in art nonetheless. Flores herself isn’t in an art class this year, but she still talks to the art teachers and is “not that disconnected from that section of the school.”

Rotunno enjoys spending time with her friends in Art Club as well as meeting new people, but she also mainly wants to improve her drawing skills.

“[Art Club is] valuable for students who have always wanted to take an art class but could never really fit it into their schedule to have something that exists for them, some avenue for creativity,” Pruc said. “I feel it’s very important and students don’t necessarily get to have that in their high school experience because there’s so much pressure on other things, but art is very valuable and it makes you a well-rounded person.”