On the first Friday of every month in the Lubbock Cultural District, the Lousie Hopkins Underwood Center of the Arts (LHUCA) puts on the First Friday Art Trail. This self-guided public art event features local artists and brings together collectors, artists and community friends for an evening of art, music, and fun.
At the May First Friday Art Trail, nine Frenship High School intermediate and advanced ceramic students will have original artworks on display and available for purchase. Each student will be selling between 10-50 pieces at the LHUCA Clay Studio (519 Ave J).
David Echols, the ceramics teacher at FHS, stated that he encouraged his students to participate in the art trail sale to give them a glimpse into pursuing a profession in art. Through the process of making and selling artwork, the students learn various layers of being a professional artist.
“They discovered what artists struggle with,” said Echols. “How much are they worth, how much the art is worth versus what the market will bear, and their position as beginners versus professional artists.”
On the production side, the students learn to strike a balance between how long to invest in one piece while streamlining their time-consuming pieces. On the business side, they had to figure out how much time is invested in a piece and how that will relate to how much they can charge and what the market will bear.
Echols explained that this experience is expanding the students’ art education and gives them a glimpse into being professional artists.
“Our society unapologetically tells the arts and the artists that it is not a viable avenue for life as an adult or something they can do for a living,” said Echols. “But it is in fact very viable. It teaches students to value their intellectual property and skills.”
If you are interested in purchasing original Frenship student art you can check out all the pieces for sale at the LHUCA Clay Studio on Friday, May 3 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Frenship Ceramic Artists with pieces for sale:
- Zoey Watson
- Jillian Jones
- Trysta Anderson
- Camerin Walker
- Bailey Scully
- Isabella Verastegui
- Skylan "Sky" Molina
- Brienna Wheeler
- Seth Montes