Walking down the first floor was the same as always; quiet, with a few students walking down the hallway. But when getting closer to door J, the atmosphere shifted from silent to buzzing with excitement, as students crowded the hallway between door J and I, lined up against the lockers, anticipating the start of the Fashion Show.

Suddenly, upbeat music began to play, and Art I teacher Ms. Chisholm stepped up to the mic to explain the purpose of the Fashion Show.         

“We are excited to present to you numerous outfits and items made almost exclusively from recycled and repurposed materials,” Chisholm said, as students listened attentively. “This project highlights the transformative process of making art, as well as the large amounts of creativity and problem solving skills that Lane Tech students possess.”

Then the fashion show began. Models lined up in their colorful and extravagant attire. Students with vibrant capes, intricate masks and quirky dresses all made their way down the runway. Some students wore elaborate headpieces, vibrant pink capes, and sparkling gold tops. Most students seemed to stride along the runway confidently, but some students, like Anthony Ashford, Div. 973, and Angela Leon, Div. 166, said they were a bit nervous before walking.

However, both were excited to reveal what they had created. Working in groups of five, Ashford and Leon fashioned intricate pieces of clothing made from various pieces of used materials.

“On my dress we used an old bed sheet to make a skirt and a top, and then we used some beads that we found to make a necklace and earrings,” Leon said.

Ashford and his group created a newspaper poncho, a headband made from cardboard, an aluminum foil phone case, and other accessories including necklaces and bracelets.

The fashion show was the beginning of what some may consider a great end of the year event: Art Week, which ran from May 30 to June 5. Several fun-filled events were held during the week, including the fashion show, indigo dyeing, steamroller prints, Clay Olympics, a mural reveal, Film I and II festivals, and an Iceland/Botanical Gardens art show.

As the Art Department prepared for the week, Ms. Custodio, head of the art department, mentioned that this wasn’t their first rodeo.

“This is our second year doing it, and it’s unique though because when you first start something, it’s more like baby steps to see how it goes the first time, and so this year it’s a little bit bigger, which is great,” Custodio said. “We have more events going, and then hopefully as every year goes, maybe we make it even bigger.”

This year, Art Week featured eight events that included a wide variety of art classes. The first event, the fashion show, took place on May 30, during seventh period. The fashion show exhibited artwork from Custodio’s and Chisholm’s art classes.

Custodio also explained that Chisholm and her class had created these recyclable outfits before.

“It was a great show, so to bring it back is really exciting, and to have the students actually showcase their work as opposed to just the class seeing what everyone does,” Custodio said.

On May 31, indigo dyeing was led by Fiber, Fabric, and Fashion teacher Ms. Simanis and photography teacher Mr. Wilcox. Students in Simanis’ class lined up in light blue aprons, carrying their white T-shirts, ready to drop them into the dark blue dye. A multitude of bright blue shirts were seen hanging on fences by Stadium Drive.

The next event that took place was Steamroller Prints that was led by Ms. Faletto, who rented an authentic steamroller. Many students were seen watching the great steamroller machine drive by.

Along with these two events, the Clay Olympics were held, which involved students crafting different clay parts such as “faces” and “vessels,” seeing which person could shape the clay and make the most creative piece. Student were lined up to watch pottery students compete to see who could create decorative objects out of clay with one catch- each student was blindfolded.

On Friday, June 1, at the main office, Ms. Wain’s Contemporary Painting class revealed murals that they created for the signs of the bathrooms. Custodio said that the murals are set to go up next year.

To conclude Art Week, Mr. Morrison hosted Film I and II festivals in the auditorium on June 4-5, which showcased short films that his students created. In room 147, Ms. Diamond showcased her Digital Imaging class’ photos taken from Botanical Gardens, and photos from a trip to Iceland that she went on with twelve of her students.