High school juniors and seniors came to MU on Friday for High School Art Day, hosted by the art department. The day began in Memorial Union’s Mark Twain Ballroom.

“We had 140 students participating this year, where last year it was less than 100,” event coordinator Brenda Warren said.

Students met faculty members, participated in six art workshops and received professional feedback from professors on their artwork.

“This year we spread it out to a 90-mile radius from Columbia,” Warren said. “We have students submitted by their teachers, and we limit it to 25 students per school.”

Students had the option to pick six workshops in which to take part. The workshop options included ceramics, drawing, fibers, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, art education, art history and architectural studies.

“(The students are) vibrant,” Assistant Teaching Professor Matthew Ballou said. “They’re like a bunch of gazelles wandering around, afraid of the lion but trying to figure out what to do. That’s what they are. They’re kind of skitterish, but I like that.”

Moberly High School student Kara Filbeck said she didn’t know what she wanted to do as a career but liked the opportunities MU has to offer.

“Art is important, and students should know that it’s just not an elective,” Warren said. “You can teach art. You can do graphic design. You can be an art illustrator. You can work for a magazine or a newspaper. It’s not just something you take for fun. It’s something you can make a career out of.”

Though some students like Filbeck didn’t know what they wanted to do, others, such as Moberly High School student Donald Williams, said they did.

“I like painting and photography,” Williams said. “I want to be a fashion photographer.”

The intent of this event was to share information with potential students about MU’s art department and the faculty’s approach to teaching art, event committee chairman Matt Ballou said.

“Education is really about making you a good citizen of the world and, for me, that’s what the arts is about,” Ballou said. “It’s about shaping minds and shaping the ethic — the way that we approach living. It makes people aware of their surroundings and makes people aware of who they are and what they care about. That’s the absolute No. 1 thing I want them to come away thinking. It’s not about money, it’s not about jobs — it’s about knowing how to live.”

As students were led by volunteer group leaders from building to building, they saw a lot of what MU has to offer.

“I love seeing young people coming through and thinking, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’” Ballou said. “I want to be around that energy. So that’s what it is for me today.”

The opportunities, campus size and food make MU a strong choice for college, Charleston High School student Deoundray Eubank said.

“I would really like to come back next year because today was really fun,” Eubank said.