By Grey Tang (‘26)
Paper mache hats hang from the tiled ceiling of the art room.
A hill and two flights of stairs away from the main Senior School building is Ms. Harms’ hidden domain: the art room, a comfortable studio with sprawling glass partitions, paint-speckled tables, and stacks upon stacks of gorgeous student artwork strewn everywhere the eye can see. There, students bustle back and forth as they finish their assignments, whether it be making the finishing strokes on a watercolour piece, sketching out the walls of a soon-to-be drafting masterpiece, or adding hot-glue texture to a paper mache band for the upcoming Visual Arts Celebration fashion show. Though all impressive, that last activity is what drives my trek down there for an interview.
If you’ve been in the art room, you’ll undoubtedly have noticed the army of floating paper hats hanging from the ceiling. Intricate and haunting, they are remnants of last year’s fashion show. The assignment involved several of Ms. Harms’ classes: both visual arts and drafting contributed, making both hats and armour to deck out their models.
A WPGA student model struts the runway during 2024’s Visual Arts Celebration.
This year, the art department is bringing it back with another fashion show. This year’s theme: Greek mythology! The students have been separated into groups, with each tackling one of the Olympians, the main Greek gods and goddesses. Each group is led by a twelfth-grade student, who is in charge of the design and oversees the creations related to their assigned deity.
Today, I arrive during a spare block, eager to check in with the group leaders on how progress has been coming along. I’m coming in early. Last year’s Visual Arts Celebration was held on the 30th of May, and it’s only the beginning of March now. Still, the students are hard at work.
I decide to interview four different artists, each with varying circumstances:
Brooklyn Logue ‘26 is by far the closest to completion. When I walk into the art room, I spot her diligently pasting pieces of paper onto a gorgeous set of ram horns, complete with fake leaves and vines.
Olivia Law ‘26 walks me through a document of her inspirations and plans, showcasing the level of thoughtfulness and detail that has gone into planning for this event.
Both David Yu ‘26 and Thomas Chen ‘26 are unique in that they are not only group leaders responsible for creating the paper mache pieces, but will be modelling the creations themselves. Thomas, in particular, will be the model of Brooklyn’s creations, though he has yet to begin planning for his own.
With this in mind, I begin my interviews.
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Tell me about the piece you’re working on. What is the inspiration?
Brooklyn works as she talks, Olivia scrolls through the assignment and her documents, David puts his pencil down to speak with me, and Thomas is all smiles as I work through my questions.
Brooklyn: I’m working on a hat for the art show. It is [inspired by] the Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine. When he drinks too much wine, he turns into a bull.
She laughs a little, and my gaze flickers down to the pair of horns on the table as I nod, laughing along.
Olivia: My Greek god is Hestia, and she’s the goddess of hearth, home and hospitality. Her symbols are torches and branches- like nature and flame.
As she says this, she does a quick Google search of Hestia’s name. All my knowledge about the Greek gods comes from the tenth-grade English class, so I eagerly peer over her shoulder.
David: The god that I was assigned to was Demeter, and for those who don’t know, like me before this project, she is the goddess of agriculture, grain, harvest, fertility, and the seasons. Her symbol is wheat.
I feel a sense of camaraderie with David, given our shared lack of understanding about the Greek gods.
And what kind of material are you working with?
Brooklyn: Most of it is paper mache. There’s a base made out of paper cardboard and a bunch of glue, and then I’ll paper-mache on top of it, paint it, and add wire elements to it.
How is working with paper mache different from other materials?
Brooklyn: It’s a much more hands-on process. And I get to use a material that I’m not super comfortable with to build up my skills in a range of art. I can create way more textures and make it look more realistic.
What experience do you have with design?
Olivia: I don’t particularly have any experience with fashion design, but I do have experience with architecture design and art in general. I really like drafting, so I guess that inspires me. I did [design for the fashion show] last year. I basically made an arm piece… with pointy things that stick out like Wolverine’s claws.
Thomas: Oh, oh, I got this! Since grade six, I’ve been very interested in fashion design, so I have lots of creations [like] dresses for women and suits for men. I like designing, and I’m interested in architecture because it’s also a type of design, but it is combined with application of science, which I think is more fascinating.
I did participate last year as well. I created a mask, which I thought- because there weren’t many instructions, I didn’t think that was an opportunity for me to fully demonstrate my artistic abilities. I feel like this time, with a clearer title and theme, I will be able to show my understanding of Greek culture more thoroughly.
Thomas’s enthusiasm is palatable. I find myself cracking a smile back at him, and I know I’m not alone in the sentiment, because the whole table seems equally as amused.
David: This is the first hands-on fashion show that I’m doing, so I guess I’m pretty excited for that.
David is new to the school and Ms. Harms’ classes, so I wasn’t expecting a lengthy answer. Nevertheless, I get a kick out of how different his and Thomas’s responses are.
Is fashion an important aspect of your personal life?
Thomas: [It] definitely is. I spend lots of time dressing myself up, styling different outfits, purchasing different clothes.
That’s not a surprise. Thomas’s love for coats and fashion is hard to miss.
Olivia: No. I have no fashion.
That gets a chuckle out of me. Despite what she says, Olivia’s outfits are always pleasing to the eye. That very weekend, she talks about how she’s putting together her very own patch jacket.
Are you looking to explore your personal fashion through this project, then?
Olivia: Not really, a little bit. Okay, sure, yes, yes. I think so…
Thomas: Definitely, certainly my piece’s overall style will go with my own personal style.
What has your design process looked like thus far?
Brooklyn: So, as soon as I got Dionysus–I actually traded for it, because I was really inspired by the person modelling him [Thomas]–I had a lot of ideas, [because I had] the perfect model. I kind of knew right away how I wanted it to look. That made it easy for me to figure out how to create [the hat]. It’s taken me three or four weeks [to get to this point].
This is probably the most animated I’ve seen Brooklyn look; her eyes practically sparkle. Beside her, Thomas shakes his head.
David: I made some rough ideas, but after some criticism-
At this point, the group chimes in.
Brooklyn & Olivia: Constructive feedback.
David: Constructive feedback. That’s the word. [After constructive feedback] from my peers, I decided to hone in… do more research, do more brainstorming, more planning, before I settle on a final design.
I think just making sure everything goes to plan, because obviously it’s a huge project with a lot of commitment that has to be put in, so just ensuring my group can finish on time. There’s a lot of natural elements in the character… I guess that’s going to take a while.
I hear echoes about a previous iteration from the other group leaders: something about a wheat or grain or crop hat that David was tinkering with.
What’s been the most difficult part so far?
Brooklyn: The only problem that I encounter is when my model does not like the artistic decisions I make. But he was the one who volunteered for this role… so come to the show to see him wear it!
She laughs, and Thomas puts his head in his hands, mouthing ‘oh my god’.
Olivia: The research, because, like, when I first got Hestia as my god, I didn’t know what to do. She’s the goddess of hearth, home, and hospitality as I said, and that’s pretty hard to find something to make with that.
Out of all the Greek gods, Hestia’s the one I know least about. Despite that hurdle, Olivia has her plan fleshed out, with everything sorted and ready to go.
Thomas: I am not very good with crafts, so I think I’ll experience more difficulties in the creation, not necessarily in the brainstorming and inspiration part.
My next question is initially directed towards David and Thomas.
As a model yourself, does that added layer of involvement impact your design choices?
David: Not especially… it’s a fashion show… most people are focused on the aesthetics of it, so I think [the main concern is] just making sure it looks presentable.
Brooklyn: Thomas likes to say that his head hurts already from wearing my hat.
Thomas: Yeah, I do say that. Because of this experience, I will respect my model and her opinions on my artistic decisions and not simply go with my idea. I’m empathetic, yeah.
Finally, what would you like to say to Ms. Harms?
David: I know that she’s going to help me through this process, since I’m new to it and all. She’s been very supportive throughout this year!
Brooklyn: I’ve been waiting for this project all year. It’s my favourite one. I’m very excited for everyone to go see the show!