When it comes to art, a broad and beautiful form of expression, a connection is made between the artist, his work and his audience. This personal experience is usually limited to exhibitions or performances, where beauty is observed from the art that has been made, not the making of the art. However, a group of ambitious high school teachers have created an even more interactive event through the live art competition known simply as “Throwdown.”

On Feb. 20, students from across the city met at the High Museum of Art to represent their high schools in a series of head-to-head art battles. This event was organized by the collaborative efforts of many teachers, volunteers and art enthusiasts. It was headed by artist Jeff Mather and Grady High School art teacher John Brandhorst. North Atlanta’s very own Natalie Brandhorst, a visual arts teacher and wife of John Brandhorst, was there to help run the event and support her students.

The day consisted of many separate competitions, each with its own rules, points, and winners. For example, contestants were sat face-to-face and given the task of drawing portraits of each other in under five minutes (time got shorter as eliminations progressed). After each round, one artist of the pair is eliminated and paired up again until there is one winner. The winner of the day, which ended up being North Atlanta, was the school with the most total points. “It’s kind of like the Art Olympics,” said Brandhorst.

Other categories included political poster, figure drawing, sculpture, curating, and performance art, several of which the Warriors won. One unique category, fashion, was inspired by the High Museum exhibit Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion. Groups from each school were tasked with creating an original outfit from found materials. North Atlanta students won first place with an outfit from sophomore Georgia Fife and her team. They were inspired by the edgy style of the 90’s and added a pattern of old CDs to complete the look. “It took a long time, and was a lot of work, but the end result was absolutely worth it,” Fife said.

North Atlanta brought home their second consecutive win from the competition, which is not only a great achievement due to the impressive nine schools competing. Throwdown is a great way for Atlanta art students to come together to create in a competitive and fun environment.