The Art Department decided to celebrate National Arts and Humanities week a little differently this year, involving the entire student body rather than just art students. From Oct. 24-Oct. 28 there will be black felt panels and art supplies in the Art Gallery where all students can express their artistic talent.

“Students will be invited to create a shape that represents them,” said Art Department Head Laura Milas. The shapes will build off each other, creating a collaborative masterpiece by the end of the week. By Oct. 28, there will be a plethora of different shapes and images representing Hinsdale Central students as a whole.

Also, considering that Arts and Humanities Week happens to be the last week of first quarter, the project may have other benefits for students. “We believe that purposeful play can be very beneficial to stressed out people,” Milas said. “We hope that students will find the activity fun.”

In addition to reducing stress, other focuses of the project include the encouragement of artistic development and creativity as well as building the feeling of community at Hinsdale Central. “This project is about personal identity and group identity. As students create their shapes to add to the wall, we hope that they will consider their decisions and challenge themselves to create something original,” Milas said.

The project will go on all week, and students are invited to stop in at any time to express their creativity and to de-stress from a tough school week.