Art Academy's 45th Annual Art Show

As of Thursday May 21st, 2026, marks art academy’s 45th annual art show, where students and parents gather to celebrate and show their appreciation to the students' hard work throughout the year be put up on display for many, ranging from paintings, to chip bags, and ceramic crafts. Ms. Gutierrez is the new Art Academy teacher after Mr. Nelson’s retirement. With the successful year, she shared a couple words with the Windjammer. “I had such amazing students this year. It was wonderful working with everyone,” spoke Ms. Gutierrez, who is the new teacher in charge of Art Academy after Mr. Nelson’s retirement. “It’s an honor to take over Art Academy, and I hope to continue the legacy that Mr. Nelson left behind.” Though it may not seem like much and just the average art gallery walkthrough, Ms. Gutierrez and Gamboa, the art and digital art teachers, have decided to bring back an old tradition: an award ceremony to congratulate students from general art all the way up to AP drawing. Students have earned certificates and medals, along with a shout out to seniors for their progress in improving and developing their own art style.

After the ceremony was over, I decided to interview three of the award winners, asking them what their favorite mediums were, what techniques they learned, if they would pursue a career in art, if they believe their art has improved, and what their favorite assignment or project was. The three of them being Tiamanda EK, MJ Higgins, and Kendyl Gutierrez, with each of them having their own answers. However, they all shared one thing in common, that being they believed their art did improve in their time in Art Academy. 

I also decided to interview Ms. Gamboa, as this is her first year here at Mayfair, after being transferred from Bellflower High School. She enjoyed her first impression of working at Mayfair, saying that she was excited getting to know her students and watching them grow. She enjoyed seeing them get their creative wind once they got the hang of a program she’d shown them. Additionally, she found the equipment in the STEAM building extremely useful for teaching and showing her students different programs such as Photoshop or Canva. Shortly after, I decided to interview Mrs. Brown, the ceramics teacher. Her favorite project she had her students work on was one where they were tasked to create a teapot, enjoying how they got inspired by nature and sculptural ceramics rather than practical. She also believed that the display cases motivated students to run wild with their imaginations in their projects; especially with the number of students remaining consistently high, as it is a relatively popular class in itself. Which has also led some students to be inspired, and decide to study ceramics in college once they graduate.

Although the art show did eventually come to a close, this also sparks a new chapter within the art program itself, and I’m excited to see how Ms. Gutierrez, Ms. Gamboa, and Mrs. Brown will go about future art shows along with teaching students and inspiring them to fight the odds and pursue a career within the art field.