The Museums of Los Gatos will be hosting the Annual Juried High School Art show from May 7 to the 29, presenting the artwork of students from both Los Gatos High School and Saratoga High School. For the two sister schools, this will be a very momentous event in more than one way.

Saratoga Ceramics and Art 1 teacher Leah Aguayo hopes that the event will bring the two schools together, “without rivalry,” for the common goal of just presenting artwork.

Although the show is juried with awards for winners, it is not a real competition between schools and neither school’s staff will be judging. Instead, the art commission of the Museums of Los Gatos will evaluate the pieces. On May 14 at 6 p.m., the judges will present the winners at a reception and awards ceremony and offer prizes to the first three places in each of the five categories of work including ceramics, drawing, painting, photography and sculpture. Aguayo and Art and Digital Photography teacher Steve McCue will be hand picking student work to be displayed at the museum based on the criteria of “originality, creativity and superior craftsmanship.”

This will also be the first year in which the two schools will be getting back together to coordinate the art show. In the past, the district held the joint art show for 18 years, but there has not been one in the past nine years. This year, the schools will finally rekindle the tradition and hopefully continue it for years to come.

To commemorate the reception, the selected students of the ceramics departments from both schools will join together as one and make a sculpture piece for the museum.

“It will be a permanent installation at the museum. They’re hoping that every year we do the show together, we can add a small art installation to the museum,” said Aguayo.

Aguayo and McCue strongly encourage all Saratoga students to visit the reception and support the effort of the art department.

“We hope that hundreds of people come to view the art,” said McCue. “It’s a big deal because the Museum of Los Gatos is well-known throughout the country so for us to have an art show there is a reflection of Mrs. Aguayo and I getting our student work out into the community.”

For more information about the Annual Juried High School Art show and the Museums of Los Gatos, visit: www.museumsoflosgatos.org.