A new piece of art is now being displayed inside the recent addition at Arlington High School.
In February 2020, Arlington voters approved a four-year capital levy to support building and facility improvements across the district. At Arlington High School, one of the projects included the construction of a nine-classroom addition with an expanded Life Skills suite, new tech workshop classroom, and general education classrooms. It also included a scene shop attached to the Byrnes Performing Arts Center to support the theater arts program.
The new art piece was installed this spring inside the high school after the construction was completed. The art piece was paid for by the Washington State Arts Commission’s Arts in Public Places Program. The Art in Public Places Program is a Washington law that states when there is capital construction that includes state funding, one half of 1% of capital construction costs are eligible for public art.
“A committee comprised of parents, students, staff and community members looked at nearly 100 artist portfolios,” said Claire Schechtman, Project Manager for the Art In Public Places Program. “The committee selected an artist named DAAS.”
DAAS gathered a lot of feedback from faculty, students and the community about what they would like to see in a mural. The mural is called “Kaleidoscope of Potential” and features a student on a multicolored background.
“This was a unique experience for me,” said DAAS “This is the first mural I’ve created that’s displayed inside a high school. The piece is intentionally abstract and lets your imagination run and reflect on your time in high school.”
“What we like about the piece is that it reflects any student at Arlington High School,” said Arlington High School Principal Marilee Herman. “The students love it!”
“The colors of the mural really make the school more comfortable,” said 10th grader Maddie Garcia.
“It really brightens up the new addition to the school,” said 12th grader Emma Smiddy. “We’d like to have even more art!”
A stained-glass art piece called “Bridge” by Jack Archibald was installed through the Arts in Public Places Program when the high school was constructed in 2003.