The Ballard High School Foundation Art Committee dedicated a new painting by T. Michael Gardiner, while introducing a number of other new acquisitions on June 28.

Artwork by Archie Graber, Margaret Harding and Willard Parker were also seen for the first time in the school by a crowd of supporters and staff.

Gardiner's eight foot by 12 foot painting hangs over a hallway on the second floor Northwest wing of the building.

Entitled "Mars-I-Pan," the painting features a house by the north end of the Ballard Bridge owned by Edith Mayfield. Mayfield owns the parcel of land her home is on and has turned down many offers from developers.

Gardiner was inspired by Mayfield's refusal to sell and included her home in the painting as a social political statement.

Gardiner is a Ballard resident. His daughter Rita graduated from the school last year.

Archie Graber's 1963 wood sculpture "Trees of Knowledge," was unveiled at the event. "Trees of Knowledge," was once displayed at the old Ballard Library on 24th Avenue Northwest. It is made of wood from 31 countries and represents Graber's vision of peace and the pooling of knowledge.

Margaret Harding, a member of the school's Class of 1929 donated five paintings.

Art Committee member Matthew Kangas, who is a freelance art critic, described Harding's work as regional modernism but with abstract images.

Willard Parker's untitled 1955 painting, inspired by the Washington Coast is also new.

The committee has several criteria in choosing art for the school. Professional artists who are Ballard graduates, Ballard residents or artists doing work that reflects the heritage and history of Ballard are considered for the collection.

The Art Committee has put together 45 pieces of art in a wide range of styles and mediums.

Kangas said the collection is the best of any public high school in the country. Ballard and West Seattle are the only high schools in Seattle with art collections.

The other artists in the collection include: John Moilanen, Mel Katz, Gwen Knight, Joe Reno (Class of 1962), Richard Gilkey (Class of 1943), Carl Hasse, Brom Wikstrom, Linda Brooks, Joan Stuart Ross, Sandi Johnsen Tomlinson (Class of 1963), Linda Brooks (Class of 1963), Windsor Utley (Class of 1963), Michael Lawson (Class of 1963), Robert Maki, James Martin (Class of 1945), Jack Stangle (Class of 1941), Art Hansen (Class of 1947), Matt Timo, Susan Gans, Gary Fagin, Nicolas Brown, Claude Utley, Lisa Snow, Alden Mason, Robert Flynn (Class of 1947), Bill Johnson (Class of 1946), Dionne Haroutunian, Einar Hansen, and Maria Jull.

The committee would like to add some Native American and African art. The school already has two Jacob Lawrence paintings in the library's entry.

The Art Committee was formed in 1997 and received a small amount of money from the Washington State Arts Commission to buy new artwork. The rest of the money is raised by the Art Committee of ten people.

"We're trying to make a point, enriching the lives of students. Artists of tomorrow have to come from somewhere," said Kangas. We wanted students to see art everyday."