LHSAA releases Girls Basketball Playoff Brackets
February 13, 2023
Funding available for Terrebonne Parish non-profit agencies
February 13, 2023
Over the last several months, students in our Vandebilt Catholic art department collaborated on projects with local carnival krewes in our community. The tangibility of seeing a project come to life for a client was a great opportunity for these students, while still in the classroom.
The Art III/IV class, under the direction of Mrs. Laurie Robichaux ‘84, was tasked with creating a maid’s collar for the Krewe of Terreanians, to be used at this year’s tableau. For this project, each student created, then submitted a design, where the Krewe of Terreanians was able to choose a winning concept. This year’s winning design concept was sketched by junior, Shelby Whitty. Once the design was approved, the whole class worked collaboratively to construct the components of the collar. The wire armature for the collar was reconstructed from an old collar frame, and then other components were added using sequins, fabric, beads, feathers, and hot glue.
John Poiencot, Krewe of Terreanians President, stated,“We, at the Krewe of Terreanians, were extremely blown away by the prestigious design and imagination these students had for this project. Our Queen Father, Mr. Frank Davis made these arrangements with the art department. They did an outstanding job! Thank you, VCHS! You guys rock!”
Laurie Robichaux, Art III and IV teacher added, “It was such a gift to witness our young artists successfully collaborate as pairs and then as a whole group working towards a shared vision. This was an amazing opportunity to partner with the Krewe of Terreanians, while expanding our repertoire of techniques and media. Though there was a learning curve for some parts and processes, we were all very proud of the final product.”
Alexis Vicknair, Art IV student shared, “It was exciting to be able to see the entire process of creating part of a maid’s costume, along with learning how to use materials we have never used before to create something from scratch. It was definitely a new way to take part in the [Mardi Gras] celebration.”
The Graphics II class, under the direction of Mrs. Jane Falgout ‘04, also worked on a collaboration with the Krewe of Houmas that incorporated skills the students were learning in class. They were tasked in designing the doubloon that would coincide with the krewe’s theme for this season “Vacation Destination.” Each student submitted a design that was first, hand-drawn, and then digitized in Adobe Illustrator. The winning design was selected after a collaboration meeting with Mr. John Casey ‘11 and a few design edits that would fit the needs of the krewe. Junior, Abigail Gremillion’s design was chosen and is now produced on the 2023 Krewe of Houmas doubloons.
John Casey ‘11, Krewe of Houmas Extravaganza Captain, stated,”For the first time, Krewe of Houmas is proud to partner with the Art Department at Vandebilt Catholic High School in designing our doubloon theme for the 2023 Mardi Gras season. We always look for ways to incorporate the community into our Mardi Gras traditions. We look forward to developing this program as a yearly student design project.”
Abigail Gremillion, Graphic Design II student said, “My favorite part about this project was that we were each allowed to show our different perspectives of vacation destinations. I got to learn how it would be working in the ‘graphics world’ with clients and business partners. I think that getting feedback showed me what the client was envisioning and helped me better incorporate their ideas into the project.”
Emily Fleniken, Graphic Design II student said, “ I liked being able to work on something that was for the community. I learned that a lot of thought goes into making a design come to life. When we were on a zoom call with the client, he told us what he liked and what needed to be worked on.”
Jane Falgout ‘04, Graphic Design II teacher added, “I am grateful for the opportunity to showcase the creativity and hard work that this group of kids in Graphic Design II has to offer! I think it is an invaluable experience for them to work with a client, get feedback, and also contribute to their community. They definitely learned all about the process and dedicated time that goes into creating a piece of artwork for Mardi Gras that they may have taken for granted before.”
