If art is an imitation of life, one might conclude that the students at Wareham schools lead lives that are diverse, adventurous, vibrant, stunning, complex, quirky, beautiful, introspective, and compassionate.

The 11th Annual Art Fair opened Thursday with art pieces created by Minot, Middle, and High School students. The exhibition featured digital and visual arts alongside music and drama.

“It is beneficial for the students to see how they are capable of developing their work with time and effort through the years,” said Fine Arts teacher Amy Dion. “When something goes into the art show, it has to be the best quality the students are capable of achieving, so we push them to keep doing more, to keep adding necessary elements of design that will hopefully push their art to a new level.”   

This year’s fair represented works by more than 400 students and contained a variety of artistic styles and media, including pencil self-portraits, ceramic figures, still-life watercolors, photos in color and black-and-white, large and colorful pieces in acrylic and Prismacolor, and complicated wood projects, such as night stands and adirondack chairs.

“It is important that students let others see their work, because often they don’t realize that their art is worthy of attention,” said Dion. “I think when students receive accolades for their work from others, they start to realize that this is something that they could keep doing and eventually pursue as a career.”

Several students used their art work to address important social issues. Senior Mckenna Fitzgerald used clear packing tape to create a vessel in the form of a human body, inside of which she put plastic trash. Fitzgerald said that her sculpture represents “how much plastic we use on a daily basis,” adding that “humans are the ones responsible for all the litter.”

As a part of the art exhibition, guests could watch a rehearsal for the upcoming “Little Shop of Horrors,” a horror comedy musical, which will be presented from May 9 to May 12. Beginning preparation back in December, the cast and play directors put together colorful costumes, prepared lively songs, and mastered a savvy set change.

One of the student directors, Colby Flanigan, encouraged everyone to see the show, saying that it was “made with a lot of passion and a lot of hard work,” and that every cast member is “unbelievably dedicated.”

“One of the challenges was mixing music and the dialogue together,” said Flanigan. “We have a wonderful director [Carolyn Gomes-Vieira] to help with the singing, but it doesn't always convey the right emotions, so we always have to make executive decisions to create a tone of the show, and we have to get it right and perfect it.”

Tickets are available for purchase to Wareham students, $10 each, as well as the general public, $12 each. The show will be performed at 7 p.m. on May 9, 10, and 11, with an additional performance at noon on Sunday, May 12. For an additional price, guests will be able to attend brunch prior to the Sunday show. To buy tickets in advance, go to www.showtix4u.com.