Excellence in arts celebrated at showcase

SFF Presents will host a free showcase of Sisters School District music and arts programs at the Sisters Art Works building Sunday, June 2 from 2 to 5 p.m. The community is invited to celebrate the work of the SHS AP visual arts and luthier students, and enjoy collaborative music performances by the SHS Jazz Band, the Outlaw Strings Club, and Americana Project student artists.

Inside the Cindy and Duncan Campbell Gallery, Advanced Placement art students will be present to share their art and design portfolios. The class represents 16 students who have been working all year to build a ten-piece portfolio that demonstrates their exploration and experimentation in a sustained investigation of their choice. Students worked in a variety of media and have artist statements available to summarize their processes. The show is currently hanging in the gallery and will be up through June 6.

In Suite 101, the Americana Luthier program will be displaying handmade guitars produced in the SHS wood shop under the direction of teacher Jason Chinchen. Students will be on hand to share their experience in creating these instruments and the challenges and rewards of building such intricate handmade instruments.

Music on the Art Works stage will include performances from the Outlaw Strings club, Americana Project students, and the SHS Jazz Band. Outlaw Strings is a before-and-after school fiddle and guitar program supported by SFF Presents under the direction of science teacher Melissa Stolasz (fiddle) and music teacher Steven Livingston (guitar). Americana Project students from the high school will perform original compositions, many of which were recently recorded for an upcoming end of school release. Closing out the performances will be the SHS Jazz Band, under the direction of teacher Kayla Golka. Students will perform music from their most recent spring concert as well as an exciting collaboration with Outlaw Strings.

Additionally, as a fund-raiser for the SHS music department, students will be selling 2023 SFF Presents Big Ponderoo Silipint cups with a Guayaki Yerba Mate for $5. Proceeds will go directly to the SHS music department to support ongoing music education opportunities, buying of sheet music, and repairing and maintaining much-needed instruments. The Silipint cups can be used at all SFF Presents events, as the organization moves toward reusable cups and eliminates single-use disposables. Light refreshments will be served.

SFF Presents has been supporting music and arts programming in partnership with the Sisters School District since 2000, and continues its work to transform lives through music and art.