There is something extraordinary happening at the Marion Art Center right now. Under the direction of Jodi Stevens and the board of directors, a new course has been charted, one that brings local youth to the forefront of the local art world.
With the launch of the MAC’s Young Artist Program, a collaboration between the center and regional high schools has developed. It is no small task given the current state of humankind in a world gripped by a pandemic. And yet therein is the bud that has blossomed as students tackled themes of mental health, gender identification, and virus-related consequences in a show that asked the question, “What are you looking forward to after the pandemic?” Open now until April 15, the MAC’s walls are filled with visual art projects that answer that question with surprising insight and talent that belies the artists’ chronological ages.
Rachel Pina is a senior at Old Rochester Regional High School. Her digitally crafted self-portrait, “Won’t Change for Us,” takes a look at the Black Lives Matter movement through the eyes of a person of color.
“People are standing up, but it can die down again. People forget,” says Pina, who is seen wearing sunglasses. One of the lenses reflects back to the viewer what she sees, a rally and march. The black and white tones add to the theme Pina chose. She said that using digital tools is as artistically satisfying as traditional drawing and painting. Pina plans on going to an art show once she graduates, focusing on animation with adult themes she can reimagine for younger audiences.
Margaret Berry is a photographer who enjoys taking pictures and seeing where they lead. She said she often waits until she sees the images before deciding the themes they may express. Her two black-and-white images explore LGBTQIA topics. In one, a young man smiles joyously at the shrouded head of another model, asking the question, “Who are you?” In the other, both models have obscured faces, but their hands appear to reach to one another. “It’s about finding love and who are we,” Berry stated. A senior at ORR, Berry plans on studying film at university. She recently earned honorable mention from the Scholastic Art and Writing Alliance, an independent organization that has been recognizing young visual artists and writers since 1923.
Also earning recognition from the SAWA is Taylor Green, a senior at ORR. Green said she has been creating art her entire life, but it was about five years ago she began thinking about the possibility of a career in art. She finds creating “exciting.” Green’s SAWA award won her a silver key for her submission, “Schooled,” now on display at the MAC. She also won honorable mention for “Popcorn,” which is also part of the high school student show. Green said, “‘Schooled’ was a spontaneous piece I did the night before my project was due in class.” She said it shows the swift passage of time. “Popcorn” “literally came to me when I was making popcorn for my family,” she said with a chuckle. Green said it is a study of reflection and altered perspectives. She is unsure what path to take after graduation, but she will definitely be pursuing art studies. “Where to go is up in the air right now.”
Autumn Tilley, a junior at ORR, explored themes of mental health in her three submissions, two of which were digital creations and one using pen and watercolors. “The girl facing the colors is happy; the other girl is in darkness,” Tilley began. She said the piece titled “Disengaged” does not mean that one girl won’t find happiness but that for now, she is stuck. In another picture, we see a disembodied pair of feet crossing a narrow bridge from the perspective of looking down into a pool of “chaos.”
“She’s traversing the static, the disorder in the abyss, on the edge of sanity but holding on. She doesn’t want to jump in,” Tilley shared. The watercolor-and-pen painting takes a look at the world through the eyes of someone dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tilley explained. Titled “Rods and Cones,” the face shows no emotion while the eyes are at once both suffering and strong. Tilley will be attending university to study animation and computer science.
William Stark’s submissions are unique in the show. He carved a rich half hull and a sailboat. Stark works part-time at a local furniture store where he has learned woodworking skills along with those taught by his father. Talking about his entries, Stark said that the sailboat was inspired by a photograph a friend took of him on his own boat. “I love sailing,” he said. The half hull is of a famous J-class sailboat, the “Rainbow.”
Speaking of rainbows, Isabel Friedrichs incorporated those in her ceramics submission. The three pieces Friedrichs is showing at the MAC span several years’ worth of effort. And when all were accepted, she was surprised. “Fortune Cookies” is three giant-sized cookies with a large scrolled message reading, “Hugs are life’s rainbows.” She also created a Converse sneaker representing keepsakes in the form of clothing articles, special editions, that is. And last but not least, she created a backpack representing transitions and issues her brother would be facing as he left home to enter university. She said she had never participated in an art show before. “I usually give my art away as gifts,” she said. Friedrich is a junior at ORR and plans on finishing out her high school career as a ceramist.
Kate Butler is an art teacher at Old Rochester Regional Junior HIgh and High School. Regarding the program that is giving the students the opportunity to display their creations to the public, Butler said, “I’m very happy for the students.” She said it gave them exposure to other aspects of bringing art to a public venue, such as writing descriptions for items on display, submitting their pieces for consideration by the center’s show committee, and even pricing pieces for sale.
“It’s a chance for them to see other parts of producing art,” said Butler, noting that most of her students are considering art as a career or as a component to a wider educational track. She credits art with giving the student a vehicle to “help them process what’s been going on.” She said that, despite the need to work from home, only having a few precious minutes each week to receive instruction in a virtual manner, that the students have “produced deep and meaningful pieces.”
Butler summarized the students’ experience this way: “This is a great opportunity for the students to access real-life aspects of how art can interact with the public even during a pandemic.… It unites people.… It helps them to process their feelings.… It’s a bright spot.”
Tricia Smith, chair of the Visual Art Department at Tabor Academy, said the Young Art Program at the MAC gives students a way of processing the pandemic. She said many students employed digital-art software programs and tools to create their pieces. “It’s painting and drawing on a screen,” Smith explained. She said the principles of drawing are there but “using a different toolbox. It’s been wonderful to introduce the students to this latest technology; it’s really relevant right now. It’s a real-world experience.” Smith also talked about augmented reality, in which computer enhancements can turn a static object into three dimensions or create animated movement from old masters’ works. “This is what is next,” she stated. Smith added that she is proud and pleased with how well the students have navigated remote learning and hybrid classes. “They have handled these transitions remarkably well.”
The exhibit also includes an entire wall of photography from students of New Bedford High School. The images range from structural to personal, from emotionally charged to static, and show the breadth of their world outside school. Those students are Yadeliz Dominguez, Elexus Nunes, Alex Soares, Keira Kolostyak, Janpier Medina, Jen Andrade, Jarien Cardeiras, Kayle Forgue, Delcy Martinez, and Alan Rodriguez.
Other students exhibiting in the MAC High School Show are Emma Zhou (Tabor Academy), Sofia Martins (ORR), Skylar Cardwell (ORR), Sarah Blake (Tabor Academy), Madeline Dugas (ORR), Rachel Foye (ORR), Mary Townsend (Tabor Academy), Christopher Knight (ORR), Claire Berry (ORR), Erin Davis (ORR), Christina Fisher (ORR), Jack Ashley (ORR), Lauren Cohen (Tabor Academy), Emma Carroll (ORR), and Ella Shannon (ORRJHS).
Also on display behind the front desk at the MAC and at the General Store in Marion are entries from the recent Artist Expression Contest for Grades 7-12 sponsored by Tri-Town Against Racism.
Even as difficult subjects have been explored, through artistic expression, the students’ art included hope and inspired the viewer to test the outer reaches of their own experiences. As Erin Davis’ picture shows us, there at the end of the tunnel, a bright light shines on a ladder, and a way up and out of the darkness if we just take a step forward. To learn more about the Young Artists Program or to view the show, visit marionartcenter.org.
Marion Art Center
By Marilou Newell