Art is not Dead: The Story of Maximi

Art is one of the common languages that exists across cultures and it is alive and well in the Pottsgrove High School community. How is art alive at Pottsgrove you may ask? The Literary Arts Magazine of Pottsgrove High School, Maximi, displays art and literature curated by Pottsgrove students in an utterly beautiful and tasteful manner.

Maximi is a timeless literary arts magazine established at Pottsgrove High School fifty four years ago. This student and staff run literary magazine is facilitated by Pottsgrove Spanish teacher Della Caldwell. In an interview, Mrs. Caldwell mentioned some of the main areas of subject matter that are usually displayed in this magazine. Recurring topics that are displayed in the art or poetry are those of nature, the sky, and animals. Art of many styles are exhibited throughout this magazine. The art in this magazine can range from cute anime drawings to highly realistic portraits that makes the art seem like an actual photograph. Mrs. Caldwell fondly remembers a few notable artists from years past. She remembers Valerie Messing, who was the Photo Editor of Maximi in the 2019-2020 school year, for her gorgeous photographs that consisted mostly of animals and cityscapes. Mrs. Caldwell also recalls Ashon Calhoun and Herber Alba, former staff members of Maximi, for their phenomenal poetry that touched the hearts of many. Finally, Mrs. Caldwell looks back upon the work of Michaela Brennan for her exceptionally stunning animal artwork. Submissions of any subject matter or style is accepted except for those involving the following: the promoting of violence, death, hate crimes, hate, drugs, weapons, suicide, or anything against the school handbook. 

As mentioned before, Maximi is a mostly student run organization with Mrs. Caldwell advising the group. The group of the student staff work tirelessly to produce a great product for those in the Pottsgrove community to consume and enjoy. When asked about the process of publishing Maximi, Mrs. Caldwell went through the procedure step by step. The first step of the process is that artists and authors from the student body submit their work to Mrs. Caldwell and the Maximi staff decide which works they would like to be published in that edition of the magazine. Usually the student staff selects works of art or literature that contain an akin nature so that they have a common theme throughout the magazine. This also allows the staff to pair up the art and literature together, even if they are made by different people. The staff next lays out each page of the magazine by using the program Indesign. Once the student staff has all of the pages of the magazine designed, a digital copy is sent out to be printed into physical copies. Then the next thing you know, the copy of the magazine that the staff has put their blood, sweat, and tears into is being read by the Pottsgrove community! The pride that everyone involved in creating the newest edition to this time-honored magazine must be off the charts to see others admiring their work!

You are probably asking yourself where you can access this magazine. The most recent version of Maximi, Under the Same Sky, is digitally available on the Pottsgrove High School website. By clicking this link, Under the Same Sky, you can directly access the digital copy of the 2020 edition of Maximi. Be sure to scroll through the pages of this well-organized, gorgeous magazine and take the time to appreciate the art and literature contained in it. For future reference, if you would like to access the next issue of Maximi, be sure to check the Pottsgrove High School Website for a digital copy or contact Mrs. Caldwell to obtain a physical copy to flip through and admire the art. 

What was gleaned from this interview with Mrs. Caldwell is that Maximi is a magazine that gives artistic Pottsgrove students the chance to display their work. Mrs. Caldwell stated, “Maximi is a beautiful showcase of student work and it’s a wonderful opportunity for students to get their work published often for the first time.” A lesson we can all grasp from this interview with Mrs. Caldwell is to support our local artists in any manner that we can. Every year, once the annual Maximi edition is published, you can check the school website and find the newest release. Take that small amount of time out of your day in order to appreciate these hardworking, creative, and insanely talented artists and authors that are featured within this magazine. If any creative people are reading this article and are interested in being an artist, author, copy editor, photo editor, or a part of the art and editorial staff, please contact Mrs. Caldwell at [email protected].

Photo Credit: Michaela Brennan

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