“The Human Condition”, an exhibition of large charcoal drawings by Berkeley High students is on display at the Addison Street Windows Gallery until September 15. The drawings were done by collaborative groups of three or four students in the Advanced Painting and Drawing class in the Academic Choice school at BHS last semester.
The works are based on printed media depictions of current events, ranging from the Haitian earthquake to the Arab Spring demonstrations in Cairo to labor protests in Wisconsin.
Course instructor Eric Norberg created the project to get his students to recognize the value and possibilities from working collectively as well as thinking independently. It was also a study on the power of photojournalism, whose visual commentary can open eyes to the human condition of real life issues.
Exhibits in the gallery, which is located on Addison Street between Milvia and Shattuck, can be viewed 24 hours a day from the sidewalk, and are free and wheelchair accessible.