Greenhill is hosting a an exhibit showcasing work from nine faculty across divisions including visual arts, photography, woodworking and technical theater through March 25 in the Fine Arts Building.

A “Meet the Artists” reception held on Feb. 11 invited students, families and faculty to engage with the gallery and meet the artists.

“You don’t always think about your teachers having their own creative projects outside of school,” freshman Divya Chamarthy said. “It was inspiring to see how passionate they are about their art and how they’re still constantly learning and trying new things.”

The faculty art show was originally proposed by Middle School and Upper School photography teacher Frank Lopez, who said the school had hosted similar exhibitions in previous years. According to Lopez, Greenhill’s 75th anniversary prompted the exhibit’s return.

Preschool and Lower School visual arts teacher Libby DiCenso contributed five of her paintings to the art exhibition.

“They’re all my most recent pieces,” DiCenso said. “I try to travel as much as I can during summer breaks and holidays, and I’m really inspired by the places I visit and putting them in art helps capture the moment for me.”

One of DiCenso’s paintings depicts her hometown.

“Growing up, I complained all the time about how small it was,” DiCenso said. “Now that I live somewhere else, I see how beautiful and special it is, and I wish I had appreciated it more then.”

Middle School and Upper School technical theater  teacher Will Turbyne used the exhibition as an opportunity to experiment with a new woodworking technique. He contributed three cutting boards titled “Basket Weave No. 1,” “3D Cutting Board” and “Chaos No. 1”.

Unlike traditional cutting boards made from edge-grain wood, where long strips of wood are glued together side by side, Turbyne’s pieces use an end-grain technique. End-grain cutting boards are made by turning the wood, so the cut ends of the boards face up. This creates a checkerboard-like pattern and a more durable surface that is gentler on knives.

“I’ve made edge-grain cutting boards for years,” Turbyne said. “This was about trying something new and sharing that growth with the community.”

Turbyne said the diversity of work on display reflects the individuality of the faculty.

“We have nine different artists, nine different identities and nine different ways of engaging with the world,” Turbyne said.

Lower School Arts Department Chair and visual art teacher and Mary Aidala contributed five works, including a large collage and two mixed-media diptychs, artworks made of two panels displayed side by side as a single piece. Her pieces focus on themes of reinvention by taking inspiration from old artwork and materials.

“I like the idea of taking something old and reworking it instead of starting with a blank white canvas,” Aidala said. “It feels reflective of where I am in my life: lots of lines, lots of layers, holding on and letting go.”

Aidala said the show also reminds the community that faculty members are practicing artists, not just instructors.

“We value being teachers,” Aidala said. “But we’re also artists, and it’s fun to be able to share that part of ourselves on campus.”

Faculty members say the show is not intended to overshadow student work, but rather to complement it.

“The focus should always be on students,” Aidala said. “But it’s powerful when everyone in the community contributes.”

DiCenso said she hopes the exhibit will urge students to look for beauty in everyday life.

“We’re so used to the places we see every day that we stop noticing them,” she said. “I want people to see the beauty in the mundane.”