Choosing 'Boundaries'

COEUR d'ALENE — Although they had their last day of class Friday at Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities, the 64 fifth-grade graduates have left a lasting legacy of art.

For the second year in a row, through a partnership with The Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur d'Alene, the fifth-grade class at Sorensen had the opportunity to select one piece of art from more than 30 pieces created by local artists. The piece will have a permanent home in the halls of the magnet school and, for the second year in a row, a piece by Hayden Lake artist Michael Horswill was selected.

"They feel like they get to be a part of this legacy and they take that responsibility very seriously," said Katie Palmer, one of their teachers. "It's just great to see that."

Blair Williams, gallery assistant at The Art Spirit Gallery, told The Press the students offer a unique perspective when selecting the art because they don't know who any of the artists are. Instead of choosing based on notoriety, she said they choose based on what moves them.

"They make connections that I wouldn't think of, it's really interesting," Williams said. "Part of the mission of the gallery is to get everyone involved with art in one way or another and this is doing that."

Williams was at the school Friday to introduce Horswill to the class.

"I am really honored to have my work in the school, and I am curious as to what you guys are seeing in this piece," Horswill said.

The response from the students was that the piece — entitled "Boundaries" and created with charcoal on paper — required them to think and that it brought them somewhere else.

"The school is very colorful," one student said. "I thought it would stand out a lot because it's black and white."

Horswill told the students the piece was done as a series of drawings the sculptor created with the intent of making "something where I didn't have to worry if I was doing it right."

"I had to step back and go 'What am I seeing' because I am trying to get inside this thing," Horswill said. "I'm trying to discover what it's going to evolve into."

After telling the classes how working in both 3-D and 2-D is beneficial to improving his craft as a whole, he opened the floor to questions. One student asked Horswill what sort of emotions he was experiencing while creating the piece they selected.

"I was really happy, I think the emotion was delight," he responded. "Because remember, with this piece I could do no wrong."

Another asked Horswill how he generates more passion about the art he is working on. Horswill, who began his career as a cartoonist, told the students there was a point where he wasn't getting as much out of cartooning as he had in the past, which caused him to go back to school to pursue a master's degree.

"And I started thinking about my art in a whole different way," Horswill said. "Art is a really long journey and every piece is a step on the path of being an artist."

When asked by a student how many pieces Horswill has produced in his career, he could not put a number on it.

"They just keep coming out of me," he said with a chuckle. "It's weird."

When the classes had left the multi-purpose room to finish the last two hours of instruction for the year, Horswill told The Press he is always struck by the intelligence and insight displayed by the youngsters.

"A lot of artists are always trying to get back to that mindset of a child, which makes a lot of sense when you talk to these kids," he added. "It means a lot to me that they chose it and are inspired by it — that's the purpose of art."