Published November 8, 2023

Students from all seven District 214 schools gathered at the Forest View Educational Center on October 20 for the District’s Visual Arts Day. The annual event is dedicated to exposing students to different types of art and giving them a day to focus on the thing they love doing the most: creating.

“It’s really amazing to have a whole day dedicated to the arts,” said Prospect High School senior Lee Wozniak. “It’s an amazing environment and I feel so supported, and like I actually have a way to express myself and move forward with my hobbies and interests, and my future education.”

Students selected three separate workshops to attend across a variety of art forms, from photography to figure drawing to animation.

“I’ve always loved art ever since I grew up, but I’ve never been exposed to the different types of things you can do in art,” said Elk Grove High School junior Ami Patel. “And I really wanted to learn about those new things, and I think today was a great day for that.”

The event was organized by Elk Grove High School art teacher Jennifer Aguilar, who is also the District 214 Arts Unlimited Coordinator. She sees this event as an opportunity not only for students to discover new artistic mediums, but also to discover different career opportunities they might have in the arts.

“I hope that students see there is a life in the creative field, and the things that they’re passionate about do have a career attached to them,” said Aguilar.

Aguilar hopes to use Visual Arts Day to encourage and inspire students for years to come.