Rams in the Arts

This newsletter highlights the Visual and Performing Arts at Bangor High School. If you have any questions about the Visual and Performing Arts, please contact Eric Hutchins at ehutchins@bangorschool.net.

From all the teacher in the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Bangor High School, we want to express how incredibly proud we are of our students and all they have accomplished this year. It has been a joy and a privilege to work alongside such dedicated, creative, and passionate young artists. Whether on stage, in the studio, or behind the scenes, our students have consistently impressed us with their talent, effort, and enthusiasm for the arts. Their hard work and growth throughout the year have been inspiring to witness, and we are grateful for the energy they bring to our programs.

This spring, our students truly shined in a series of remarkable culminating events. The Choral Concert, Orchestra Concert, and Band Concert each showcased not only musical excellence but also the collaborative spirit that defines our department. Our theatre students wrapped up the year with an entertaining production of Clue, as well as a powerful and engaging Senior Capstone performance (Click here to watch). Our visual artists shared their final Capstone projects in stunning displays around the city. In addition, the End-of-Year Student Art Exhibit at the Bangor Public Library offered the wider community a chance to see the incredible range of talent our students possess. This newsletter includes images from all of these memorable events, capturing the creativity and achievement our students have demonstrated—we couldn’t be more proud of all they’ve done!

Students showing off their tufted rugs

Ms. Bryand with her National Art Honor Society students receiving their cords at the Student Art Exhibit Opening at the Bangor Public Library

Visual Art Capstone students with their capstone cords and pins after successfully completing all VPA Academy requirements over four years. Art teachers Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Hutchins, and Ms. Bryand presented students with their awards.

Photo from our All City Choral concert

Photo from the end of year orchestra concert

Photo from the end of the year band concert

Photo of the percussion ensemble at the end of the year concert

Photo from the end of the year choral concert

Photos from the Bangor High School theatre production of Clue.

An amazing collection of BHS student artwork is on display in the lecture hall at Bangor Public Library until July 29th! Make sure you stop by and see the great work!

Fruit Street Elementary students explored monster books and created two drawings, thinking about how their designs could become stable 3D sculptures. After a group critique, each student chose one design to finalize with detailed front and back views. They named their monsters and described habitats, then sent their work to Bangor High School.

Ceramics II students investigated the drawings carefully and then sculpted the monsters in clay, while Andrea Martin’s Junior English class wrote stories featuring them. Meanwhile, Fruit Street students also made their own stories and 3D clay models with Model Magic, sharing these with the high schoolers. We had a culminating reception put on by Nancy Watson and Brandy Gould in the BHS Library. This collaboration sparked creativity across grade levels, and we look forward to more projects connecting Fruit Street Elementary and Bangor High School. Thanks to everyone who made it possible!

Art 2 made Black Out Poetry for Poetry month and we explored the work of Yayoi Kusama and made our own colorful mushrooms inspired by her work. We finished the year with Mixed-media collages, Colored Pencil still lives, and designed our own record album covers.

Ceramics 1 students created Anthropomorphic Animal Sculptures, Cups with Charisma and Games to finish out the school year!

Maxx Matlins was selected to have their artwork on display at the Maine Coast Heritage Trust Maine Land Conservation Conference. The main event of the conference focused on a positive vision for the future and how we can support climate action in Maine. Maxx attended the conference and was able to talk to others about the thoughts behind their artwork. So very proud of Maxx for their artwork helping to make a difference in Maine.

The work is titled Looning over the Resilience.

Haystack connects people through craft. Located on the coast of Maine, Haystack provides the freedom to engage with materials and develop new ideas in a supportive and inclusive community. Serving an ever-changing group of makers and thinkers, we are dedicated to working and learning alongside one another, while exploring the intersections of craft, art, and design in broad and expansive ways.

This year Bangor High School was able to send two students to Haystack for three days to refine their own art.

Juliana Venturelli participated in the ceramics workshop, where the primary focus was surface design on plates. For her pieces, she was inspired to incorporate bright, colorful elements drawn from the outdoors, layered over textures reminiscent of fabric—such as lines, flannel, or bandana patterns. While the workshop emphasized surface decoration, Juliana also had time to work on the pottery wheel, which is a deep passion of hers.

Her instructor, Angela Humes, a talented ceramic artist known for her wheel-thrown forms and sgraffito techniques (scratching through underglaze to create patterns), played an influential role during the workshop. Angela offered helpful guidance, particularly with techniques to create more even walls—something Juliana has found challenging when throwing taller cylinders.

Juliana hopes to apply what she learned to future work in surface design. She deeply values the way surface decoration can elevate functional objects—like mugs, bowls, and plates—into visually compelling pieces of art. She finds that thoughtful, handmade designs can transform everyday items into something truly special. Looking ahead, she aspires to bring this philosophy into her own art practice and eventually into her teaching, encouraging students to see utility and beauty as one.

Though she has always loved making art, Juliana has often been hesitant to share her work with others. Her experience at Haystack, however, helped her build confidence both in her artistic voice and in presenting her work publicly. She especially appreciates the transformation that occurs in the creative process—how an idea that begins as a rough sketch can evolve into something polished and beautiful. For Juliana, it is this journey from concept to completion that makes art so meaningful.

Ward Wazzan participated in the Fablab workshop, a woodworking studio focused on furniture design and construction. Over the course of three days, she worked alongside a professional artist and carpenter from Portland to create two original pieces of furniture. Each day began with a group lesson, but much of the work was self-directed, giving Ward full creative freedom. That autonomy reignited her love for making—reminding her how fulfilling it is to create simply for the joy of it.

While at Haystack, Ward not only learned how to build her own furniture, but also discovered the wide range of possibilities within the arts as a career. She arrived with no prior carpentry experience and left with a handmade table and bench—two tangible symbols of her growth. The experience opened her eyes to other unconventional art forms and inspired her to keep exploring new ideas and disciplines as she enters her senior year.

For Ward, studying the arts is about more than just developing skills—it’s a way to better understand herself and the world around her. It helps her communicate, take creative risks, and find joy through expression. Most importantly, creating art simply makes her happy, and she looks forward to discovering even more ways to create.

As we close out the year, we want to once again say how truly proud we are of each and every one of our students. Their commitment to the arts, their willingness to take creative risks, and their ability to bring their visions to life have been nothing short of inspiring. They have filled our stages, classrooms, and community spaces with talent, heart, and excellence. We look forward to seeing where their creativity takes them next—and we’ll always be cheering them on.