Every spring, the halls of Berkeley Carroll transform into a gallery for the annual BC Art Show. From PreK through Grade 12, students across every division have spent the year practicing curiosity, experimenting with materials, and finding their voices as artists. We visited two recent projects to get a glimpse into the creative energy building toward the big day.

Woven Together: Upper School Photo Weavings

In the Upper School, a striking new project explored what happens when two portraits become one.

Working with portrait photographs of two different students, artists carefully cut and interwove the images to create layered compositions that hold both individuals in a single frame. The results are visually arresting, and conceptually rich. Each woven portrait asks the viewer to look closely, to sit with complexity, and to consider how identity is shaped not just by who we are alone, but by the relationships that define us.

The project took on added depth with a visit from guest artist Nicholas D'Ornellas, who shared how he uses photographs of his own family to explore themes of memory, belonging, and community in his work. His visit reminded students that the questions their art is asking, about connection, friendship, and what it means to truly see another person, are questions that serious artists spend entire careers exploring.

The resulting portraits are among the most thoughtful and visually striking work the Upper School has produced this year. See them for yourself at the Art Show, or currently on display in the Lincoln Place Cafeteria.

Line, Shape, Color, Self: 6th Grade Printmaking

Meanwhile, in the Middle School, sixth grade artists have been on a creative journey of their own.

After a series of drawing and mark-making workshops focused on personal expression and portraiture, students are now deep into a printmaking unit, designing, hand-carving, and printing editions of 10 to 15 linoleum prints, many of them self-portraits. The process is demanding and deeply rewarding: carving expressive lines and bold black-and-white shapes, then layering in color and mixed media to convey mood and meaning.

What makes this unit particularly special is that it asks students to do three things at once: problem-solve technically, take creative risks, and support one another. Collaboration runs through every step, students offer kind, thoughtful feedback, share inspiration, and cheer each other on through the inevitable challenges of learning something new. The result is a cohort of artists who are not just making beautiful work, but growing into the kind of creative, resilient thinkers a Berkeley Carroll education is designed to cultivate.

The BC Art Show opens Saturday, May 16th, a cross-divisional celebration of visual art that illustrates the full arc of student learning, from the earliest mark-makers in PreK to the most advanced artists in Grade 12. It is, without question, one of the most joyful events on the BC calendar.

Come see what our artists have made. You won't want to miss it.

View More Behind the Scenes Photos Here.