Community Corner

Burlington High School Alumni Artist Day on Friday

Former Burlington High art students will be meeting with current students to share their stories of success.

On Friday, January 10, the Burlington High School Art Department will host its sixth annual Alumni Artist Day from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. a release from the art department states. 

For the past six years the Burlington High School Art Department has welcomed back former students to discuss their careers as artists. Alumni who have recently graduated talk about their first year at art school, senior college students who are preparing to enter the workforce share their portfolios and alumni who are working as designers and artists share their experiences and day-to-day activities at their jobs.

Current art students have a chance to see and ask questions of the alumni, the release states. They are able to learn about art careers directly from the artists to whom they relate as members of their extended school community.

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In addition to connecting alumni with current students, Alumni Artist Day is an event that has connected alumni to one another to share resumes and job connections.

Here are some quotes from some BHS Alumni Artists about the Art Department:

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“I relate a lot of my success to Burlington and its art department," said Jason Yeadon, Graphic Designer, Major League Baseball. "Because of BHS and my art teachers I was able to grasp an understanding of design much earlier than most people and transform that into a focus at Syracuse University. If it weren't for BHS I would not be where I am today. A lot of people say that art and design are not important classes to take and don't become an artist because you will never find a job. But this is completely false. This is one reason I feel it is important to come back to BHS for Alumni Artist Day, so I can share what I have learned and encourage students to think about majoring in and finding jobs in art and design.” 

"The value of the BHS Art Program was monumental in my success as a graphic designer," said Elyse Goldstein Emery, Senior Graphic Designer at Spruce Environmental Technologies Inc." First of all, I would have never even taken an art class  if it weren't for an observant art teacher in a study hall encouraging me to take the class while watching me doodle. Freshman year of college all of my classmates were trying to gain a base knowledge in the programs while I was able to really thrive and focus on my creativity because I already had a phenomenal base from 3 years of graphic design in high school. I will always be grateful for the BHS Art Program, it literally gave me a career path and was an integral part of shaping me as an individual."

“I've always been appreciative of the art program at BHS," said Geoff Silvis, Printmaker and former admissions counselor for Hartford Art School. "Being on the other side of the college admissions line, I can now fully appreciate how the program you have was vital to the artist that I am today. From the range and large number of areas of study, to the quality of each of them, the BHS art department continually stays with me. I can also truly appreciate the wonderful black and white darkrooms that I unfortunately did not utilize when I was a student. It is a rare sight for students to be so adept in that classical media in today’s technology-driven society, and it will make a strong and effective impression on them as artists in this age.”


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