Vernon Hills students to laud teacher
The Vernon Hills High School Fine Arts faculty and students are coming together to create a tribute to teacher Jim Savage, who will retire in June.
Savage has taught art at VHHS since the school opened in 1999, and at Libertyville High School before that, for a total of more than 30 years in Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128.
Local artist Pamela Olin has been selected to work with the art students to create a 3-D work. A tree made of steel will be placed in the VHHS Garden Courtyard as a tribute to Savage and the students who have worked with him, said District 128 Director of Communications Mary E. Todoric in a news release.
After learning that Savage worked as an arborist before entering education, the students came up with the idea of using a tree as the basic shape of the project, Todoric said. They also liked the symbolism of growth, wisdom and strength.
The leaves of the tree will be profiles of students laser cut in steel in three sizes that will move with the wind.
Olin works with steel, bronze, copper, brass, stone and found objects. According to her website, her art “encourages the viewer to enter a dialogue, investing part of themselves to shape their own vision. Using her broad technical expertise, Olin combines varying emotional themes involving the human form and its intimate space.”
To learn more about the artist, visit www.pamelaolin.com.
Not only will the students play a part in the physical creation of the tree, they have an opportunity to be a part of the tree through the leaves. Students have several ways to add their profile to a leaf. They can make a donation of $25, $50 or $100 to purchase a leaf profile. The amount of the donation will determine the size of leaves, Todoric said in the release.
Students may also donate a work of art for a silent auction to be held later in the school year. In exchange for the artwork donation, the student’s profile will be added to a leaf.
Contributions of checks or works of art will be accepted through Friday, March 25. Visit the “Jim Savage Retirement Tribute” page on Facebook, or contact the VHHS Fine Arts office at (847) 932-2283 for details.