A sculpture of a moose. A painting of a butterfly. Colorful textiles. These were some of the art pieces featured in Callie Roth (’26) and Liv Karp’s (’26) senior show, “Echoes and Traces.” The show opened in the Eastern Star Gallery Wednesday, April 15.
Through her art, Roth said she tries to create a “moment of calm.” Some of her featured art pieces included the aforementioned sculpture of a moose and a duck, inspired by nature and the elements. As an artist, she said her own life and experiences inspire her.
“I think everything that I’ve seen has shaped me in some way, just my favorite media and my brother’s also an artist,” Roth said. “He does mainly painting and drawing, though.”
Roth said she was very excited to share her work with the Archer community. She views this show as the culmination of her hard work and involvement in the arts.
“I would say the most memorable part of the show was just being able to show off my work and just hear and see other people,” Roth said, “instead of just my parents.”
Roth was also inspired by her experience attending a summer camp in the mountains. With that, she said the goal of her art is to show viewers the “peace nature can bring.” On the other hand, Karp said she draws inspiration from memories of childhood and her own identity. She wants viewers to connect to their own individuality and their past.
Karp made a painting displaying Archer students with their faces hidden. The girls are wearing grey and black skirts; some are wearing sweatshirts and sweaters, portraying the Archer uniform. Karp said this piece, alongside many others, showcases her growth and experiences stepping outside of her comfort zone. She began working with oil pastels and expanded into mixed media, all of which were used in her show.
“I hope viewers take away how important it is to connect with your past and hold your memories close. Memories and experiences are so formative to who someone is,” Karp wrote in an email, “and they make each person unique, and I think my exhibition shows the memories that have shaped me into who I am today. They are moments that I will keep close to me forever.”
At the beginning of the year, teachers, such as art teacher Hannah Kremin, met to decide which students would get to present their work in the Eastern Star Gallery. They considered students’ art styles and experience and pair them up based on common themes. Roth and Karp were paired up based on their nature-themed artwork, Kremin said.
“Well, most of the time we take a look at the work that they’ve been creating throughout their time in studio classes, like in upper school. When they’re in advanced and advanced study,” Kremin said, “we talk a lot about what they’re trying to say with their work, like what is their voice as an artist, and then that sort of helps me guide them around themes that I see in their work.”
Kremin said she hopes viewers appreciate her students’ hard work, and even if they don’t necessarily like the piece, she urges them to be curious about the meaning behind it.
“I hope they first notice all of the hard work, and then I hope they notice the individual voice of each of the artists because each one of these students has such a different perspective,” Kremin said. “They’re bringing such different things to say. And I hope visitors see that and realize how diverse our community is and how many talents and perspectives are being showcased in there.”
