Each piece lay idle on the cleanly organized tables in Town Hall, waiting for guests to arrive and admire them. The Madison Pyramid Art Show took place on April 15 and displayed works in ceramics, photography, digital art and studio art, all highlighting the effort and creativity of over 400 students.
The art show’s date was set a year in advance, and students worked throughout the year to prepare. Some 3D Art students got to showcase a selection of ceramics that correlated to a certain theme. From exhibiting the way the ocean moved to experimenting with bubble glaze, there were many themes that students could choose from. Alexis Plaster (’27) created several similarly sized bowls.
“I chose consistency in individual pieces because I think [that’s] something I wish I had more of in life,” Plaster said. “I wanted to try and find it with pieces that are still individual. I experimented with blue bowls and created as many [with] as much variation as possible.”
Ceramics students made teapots, cups, plates, bowls, boxes and even pottery shaped like animals. Other advanced artists created themed portfolios and boards of their photography or digital art.
“I chose to examine the use of art in oppression and resistance,” Sara Yoshikawa (’26) said. “I think oppression is always an important issue, and a lot of events, both current and historical, have motivated me to appreciate the ways people resist it.”
Art teachers encouraged all their students, especially those in AP courses, to dig deep with the topics they were passionate about.
“I was inspired by the way the ‘Hunger Games’ movies used artistic elements like color, fashion and architecture to reflect oppression and resistance,” Yoshikawa said. “I started to notice how historical instances of oppression and resistance shared similar visual languages and how both used art in different ways to communicate their messages.”
A unique initiative that went hand in hand with the Pyramid Art Show was the Monster Art Pal Project, occurring for its eighth year. Local elementary students would draw monsters, then first-year 3D Art students would create real-life versions of those 2D characters.
“This event is sometimes the first time a family will visit Madison,” art teacher Brandy Carter said. “Young artists will see their work and the possibilities as they get older which inspires them to take art here at Madison. We hear from families that they look forward to the show and the opportunity to see all of the talent that is here. It also shows people the importance of art and the value it has in the lives of students.”
While many elementary school students had their own artwork displayed, some just wanted to look around and others were there to pick up their 3D monsters.
“I really like getting to see all the different schools’ art,” Plaster said. “I also like giving [out] the monsters that the 3D Art 1 classes make for [the] fourth graders because the kids are always so excited.”
The show linked together about a thousand students and the nine pyramid schools they represented, creating a “shared home.” Moreover, it fosters community and a positive environment for artists and viewers alike.
“It pulls in entire families as well as district representatives,” Carter said. “Across the evening, we had around three to four thousand people attend.”
The room, though small, was a place where art thrived and viewers could truly see the dedication and craft of local children and teens.
“As art teachers, this is a way to really celebrate the amazing work that students are creating here,” Carter said. “For us, it’s a moment of pride as we see the vast talent and artistic voice in so many of our artists here.”
