The Ben Davis art department is hosting it’s annual art show, S.W.E.A.T. This program takes the place of a final for senior art students and will also feature artwork from under-classmen. S.W.E.A.T. will take place this Saturday in the high school from 7-9:30 p.m. It is open to the public and admission is free, so come on down to see the artwork of more than 140 students.

Senior Alicia Bogarin has been an artist since elementary school and has been participating in programs like Arts Alive and art classes since her freshman year. Her inspirations include her favorite artist, Andy Warhol, and Lauren Kinsey, her metalworking teacher.

Bogarin said art teacher Lauren Kinsey has been the most help to her because “she is awesome and she is very hands-on with her art.”

Bogarin believes “art is everything.” She said it is about expressing yourself and believing in yourself and what you can do. It can be anything you want it to be. Bogarin says art is important to her because it got her through hard times and has given her an outlet for her emotions.

This year will be Bogarin’s first year being involved with S.W.E.A.T. She is excited and sees it as an amazing opportunity for her and her peers.

Bogarin prefers pop-art and metalworking, but will be displaying a range of different styles at the art show. She and a friend are setting up their pieces on the first staircase by door one, so be sure to stop by.

Kinsey has been an art teacher at Ben Davis for the past two years. She prefers the S.W.E.A.T. program over others because “as someone who has to put in a lot of work it is so much nicer to do S.W.E.A.T. Students are in charge.”

While teachers are technically in charge of supervising their students, the students set everything up themselves.

Kinsey also likes seeing all her students from over the years. It is a great way to see how they have progressed and to see the variations of art they have created.

“I’ve come to think of art as anything that has been made with intention. It is expansive into every avenue,” Kinsey said.

The only thing she could ever think to do was to teach art.

“In eighth grade I wrote a paper on Herron School of Art and Design and that’s where I ended up going to college. It is one of the best art colleges in the state.”

Kinsey enjoys helping people with their own work and says that seeing what people come up with is really rewarding.

“All jobs are important,” she said. “But not all jobs affect people’s lives.”

If you are taking an art class, ask your teacher about participating in S.W.E.A.T. Then, don’t forget to save the date, and remember to come see some Ben Davis students with extraordinary artistic talent.