February 21, 2024

Good afternoon Visual Arts students, parents and supporters! Please read on for news and info for the last week of February.

Congratulations to the student artists in senior show #2 - Angie Aguinaga, Avery Araujo, Sam Banda, Brayden Berger, Kevin Castillo, Patch Darnell, Eesha Gottimukkala, Frankie Heeringa, Raymond Hernandez, Alyson Mendoza, Victoria Ornelas, Maeve Smith and Kyra Sowells. 

Thank you to all who attended and supported Apricity. The exhibit will be in the Hudson Gallery until spring break. The opening reception for Senior Show #3 is Thursday, March 27.

The deadline to submit for Young American Talent is Saturday, March 1. Booker T students can waive the fee for up to three pieces with the code BTW25.

• Volunteers are needed to help with drop off (Saturday, May 3), installation (Monday-Tuesday, May 5-6) and pick up of art (Saturday, May 17) for Young American Talent. See the sign up for details.
• Our receptions calendar has been updated through the end of the year. Volunteers are needed at our final four receptions on March 27, April 24 and May 8.
• I Am Booker T Day is Saturday, April 12. Parents and students are encouraged to volunteer to welcome our newest families, sell memberships and merchandise, and answer questions about the Visual Arts Guild and Conservatory.

Parents AND students can volunteer for these opportunities. Students should check with Visual Arts faculty to see if they can log crew hours for volunteering.

Students should also continually check the online call board for the latest crew opportunities.

Did you know that the Visual Arts Guild hosts a dinner for Visual Arts seniors and their guests at the end of the school year? 

The catered dinner features a guest speaker, scholarship and awards ceremonies, and gifts for seniors. The school does not fund this event; it is planned, hosted and paid for by the Visual Arts Guild.

Because it is an event for seniors and their parents/guardians, we ask that underclassmen parents and students serve on the committee and volunteer at the event. 

IF YOU ARE AN UNDERCLASSMEN PARENT, please consider joining the committee to plan and host the dinner and the senior scholarship presentation, and/or signing up to volunteer at the dinner on May 19.

The committee will meet a few times - in person or virtual - to pick a theme, caterer, and senior gift, and to recruit volunteers the night of the dinner. As with all our events and programs, we have a plan of work from the past four years so you do not have to start from scratch (unless you want to). You will not incur any expenses as this event is in the guild budget.

Volunteers will set up and strike before and after the event in the Hudson Gallery.

Please consider volunteering so we can continue to celebrate our seniors at this festive event. Check out the sign up for details.

If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity next year, please let us know. We have a variety of open positions for officers and committee chairs including:

• President: Presides at regular meetings and oversees operations of VA Guild and its committees; works closely with faculty, PTSA and other guild presidents
• Treasurer: Administers VA Guild funds, assists with creating VA Guild budget; provides regular treasurer and financial reports; helps with any required annual filings
• Membership chair: Recruits news members and membership renewals at Pegasus Pick Up and I Am Booker T Day; uses Membership Toolkit to manage memberships; oversees social committee that plans membership events
• Senior photos committee chair: Works with photographer and seniors on to schedule sessions and take payments; helps supervise sessions on picture day; arranges additional make-up days as needed; prints and installs photos on senior wall
• Hospitality chair: Coordinates several faculty appreciation events including the back-to-school breakfast in July/August
• Communications: Creates weekly newsletter via Membership Toolkit; updates website; manages Instagram and Facebook profiles
• Portfolio Day chair: Coordinates hospitality for faculty and guests; volunteer at the one-day event and/or supervises volunteers; creates and distributes gift bags

There are several roles that have to be filled by volunteers to ensure we provide basic programs and resources to our faculty and students. As you may know, the school does not provide volunteer or financial support for these conservatory events. Without the support of our guild and its members, we will have to scale back.

• Saturday, February 22: Dance at Frontiers of Flight Museum (6911 Lemmon Avenue), 7-11 p.m. $35 tickets will be sold at the door
• Wednesday, February 26: African American Heritage Musical Student Preview in the MAT at 7 p.m. 
• Thursday, February 27-28: African American Heritage Musical in the MAT at 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 5: School-wide arts market
• Wednesday, March 5: Spring Classics in the MAT at 7 p.m.
• Thursday, March 6: Arts & Culture CUE Day
• Thursday, March 6: Spring Classics in the MAT at 7 p.m.
• Monday, March 10: First day of spring break

See the listings below for additional events. Visual Arts Conservatory and guild events are marked with *. Visit the school calendar for details on schoolwide events.

Visual Arts Guild at BTWHSPVA

2501 Flora St.

Dallas TX 75201