The Student Government Association (SGA) held the annual Arts Gala from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 12, where all Jefferson students were welcome to showcase their artwork in the gallery, where work from Jefferson art class students are also on view. In addition to viewing art, visitors left comments for the artists, ate donuts and listened to live performances.

“We first reached out to Mr. Davis about using gallery space and easels in early December,” SGA president and senior Sherry Xie said. “We released artwork and performance forms as soon as students returned from winter break. We also had to acquire a piano, music cart and microphone from various groups at TJ for performances and open mic. We did not have any scheduled performances this year, but leaving the piano and music cart out for open mic [and] karaoke remained popular.”

One artist whose work was displayed is senior Lulu Lin, who submitted two photography pieces, titled “Duality” and “Broken.” The latter is a portrait photo illustration that she made for Jefferson’s photography class.

“[“Broken” is] part of a photo series for photography class called “Past, Present, Future,” Lin said. “This particular photo is supposed to represent my past and how in my middle school years I felt really torn between a lot of different things, different friend groups and things like that. I overlaid two of the same photo, but they were both recolored in different ways, and I tried to make a torn paper effect and broken glass effect.”

After visitors waled through the gallery and left a comment on one of the posters hanging next to the pieces, the SGA offered free donuts from Duck Donuts. The comment sheet system was a recent addition to the event.

“I think having comment sheets started two years ago, and we’ve continued it because it’s a good way to have people stop and actually engage with the art,” Xie said. “The artists have really enjoyed receiving feedback too.”

The event was held on the same night as the varsity basketball teams’ double header against Edison, ending about 15 minutes before the girls’ game. Some students already staying after school for the Arts Gala may have decided to also watch the games, and others staying for the doubleheader may have decided to stop by the Arts Gala, increasing attendance for both free events.

“I think the Arts Gala is a great way to bring the school together for a fun after school event- with free Duck Donuts- and raise turnout for the following basketball games,” Xie said. “SGA also paid the Athletic Department for free student admission to most winter home games.”

Though Jefferson’s curriculum may not emphasize the arts, there are still many student artists, through art classes, extracurricular activities or hobbies. With the Arts Gala, the SGA aims to recognize that.

“TJ’s obviously a very STEM-leaning school, humanities and arts are sometimes forgotten, so we think that the arts gala provides an opportunity for our students to showcase their passions and their talents in this events,” SGA Activities Coordinator and sophomore Michael Kyrychenko said.