saline reporter
newsThursday, January 19, 2012
SALINE: Students' work take center stage at Art Day (with video)By Lori Maranville
Special Writer
lorimaranville@att.netFrom afar, the reds, yellows, greens, blues, oranges and blacks blend together in a dazzling array of color and creative depiction of flowers. Step closer and the hundreds of multi-colored bottle caps of varying sizes become more pronounced and visible-like pixels in a photograph. The installation art piece to be displayed in the commons area of Saline High School was a collaborative effort of students participating in the school's first Art Day held recently at the high school. Angela Schmidt, a parent volunteer, said the event was created in an effort to give students interested in a career in art some guidance and inspiration in following their passion. Her daughter, Sarah Schmidt, an 11th grade student, said she wants to study animation in college and thought the event was very helpful. "I feel like art has been underrepresented here," she said, "and it is really great to see people getting involved and really excited about art." For her part, Angela Schmidt said, it was wonderful to be able to support her daughter in her passion. About 75 students signed up for the half-day event, which included a keynote address by Saline resident and local artist Valerie Mann. Saline teachers Cynthia Koppelman, Janet Hughes and Adam Rodriguez helped coordinate the event. The students rotated through three sessions, each session addressing a different aspect of pursuing a career in art. Saline graduates Robert Kinsey, Neil Zemba, Carolyn Weber, Amara Karapas, and Emily LoPresto met in small groups with students to talk about their pursuit of a career in art. Art teacher Janet Hughes said many of the alumni were former students of hers and she is hoping the feedback gained by current Saline students from graduates is valuable. "If they have any anxiety about their career choice, it's very valuable for them to hear from other Saline High School graduates," she said. LoPresto, who is studying ceramics at the College of Creative Studies, said it would have been very useful to talk to a Saline alumnus about a career in art when she was in high school. There were also representatives from the Art Institute of Michigan and the Kendall College of Art & Design on hand to talk to students about options for studying art after high school. The final session was a creative project, in which students used caulk guns to glue hundreds of multi-colored bottle caps to an Andy Warhol-inspired depiction of flowers. When asked which portion of the event she liked best, Sarah Schmidt said, "I really liked all of it because all of it was so different." "The student alumni really gave a different perspective and we got to really learn what it was like in college. "The colleges gave you more of the logistical side, which was very informative." As for the art installation, Sarah Schmidt said, "I just love creating art, so this is really cool that we could all get together and make an awesome piece that will be on display here." Jacqui Tonks, a 10th-grade student, also enjoyed being able to express her creativity during the event. As she carefully placed caps onto the board for maximum visual impact, Tonks said, "I like the fact that we're using bottle caps, because it reinforces the whole recycling idea." "We are taking things that you think you would never use and creating something really beautiful with it," she said. "It's an awesome message to send out." Mann, who helped guide students through the process of creating the bottle cap art piece, gave students some history of silk screen artwork created by Andy Warhol known as "Flowers." The students' piece included three large panels of flowers, drawing inspiration from Warhol's art. In planning for the creative piece, Mann said, she wanted something that would be big, inexpensive and "have a big impact visually." She found a picture on the Internet of a bottle cap self-portrait created by Chicago-based artist Mary Ellen Croteau and thought this type of artwork would be a good collaborative project for students with a wide range of art interests. The art field includes more than just painters and sculptors, encompassing a wide range of career paths, such as animators, architects, fashion designers, filmmakers, graphic designers, interior designers and photographers. Mann tried to give students advice based on their particular field of interest while helping students create the art piece. She told those interested in photography to think of the bottle caps like pixels in a photograph when placing the caps on the colored boards. She also suggested layering caps to provide greater depth and intensity of color. The students got involved even before the event, collecting and sorting bottle caps for the art piece. Two Twelve Arts Center, Busch's ValuLand, Walmart and many individuals donated for the Art Day event. During her morning at the school, Mann was able to give the students some more general advice about life. "I talked to them about the two most important things they need to do, which is to take care their health and their identity." Mann told the students to "major in whatever makes you get out of bed in the morning." "Cultivate your curiosity. Curiosity is one of your biggest assets." "Define for yourself what you want to be," she said, "and stay honest with yourself." The students were given an opportunity to give some feedback on the event by filling out a short survey at the close of the sessions. They showed their appreciation for Mann and student alumni with enthusiastic applause. Hughes said she is hoping to gikd another Art Day at the school next year. Lori Maranville is a freelance writer. She can be reached at lorimaranville@att.net.
Special Writer
lorimaranville@att.netFrom afar, the reds, yellows, greens, blues, oranges and blacks blend together in a dazzling array of color and creative depiction of flowers. Step closer and the hundreds of multi-colored bottle caps of varying sizes become more pronounced and visible-like pixels in a photograph. The installation art piece to be displayed in the commons area of Saline High School was a collaborative effort of students participating in the school's first Art Day held recently at the high school. Angela Schmidt, a parent volunteer, said the event was created in an effort to give students interested in a career in art some guidance and inspiration in following their passion. Her daughter, Sarah Schmidt, an 11th grade student, said she wants to study animation in college and thought the event was very helpful. "I feel like art has been underrepresented here," she said, "and it is really great to see people getting involved and really excited about art." For her part, Angela Schmidt said, it was wonderful to be able to support her daughter in her passion. About 75 students signed up for the half-day event, which included a keynote address by Saline resident and local artist Valerie Mann. Saline teachers Cynthia Koppelman, Janet Hughes and Adam Rodriguez helped coordinate the event. The students rotated through three sessions, each session addressing a different aspect of pursuing a career in art. Saline graduates Robert Kinsey, Neil Zemba, Carolyn Weber, Amara Karapas, and Emily LoPresto met in small groups with students to talk about their pursuit of a career in art. Art teacher Janet Hughes said many of the alumni were former students of hers and she is hoping the feedback gained by current Saline students from graduates is valuable. "If they have any anxiety about their career choice, it's very valuable for them to hear from other Saline High School graduates," she said. LoPresto, who is studying ceramics at the College of Creative Studies, said it would have been very useful to talk to a Saline alumnus about a career in art when she was in high school. There were also representatives from the Art Institute of Michigan and the Kendall College of Art & Design on hand to talk to students about options for studying art after high school. The final session was a creative project, in which students used caulk guns to glue hundreds of multi-colored bottle caps to an Andy Warhol-inspired depiction of flowers. When asked which portion of the event she liked best, Sarah Schmidt said, "I really liked all of it because all of it was so different." "The student alumni really gave a different perspective and we got to really learn what it was like in college. "The colleges gave you more of the logistical side, which was very informative." As for the art installation, Sarah Schmidt said, "I just love creating art, so this is really cool that we could all get together and make an awesome piece that will be on display here." Jacqui Tonks, a 10th-grade student, also enjoyed being able to express her creativity during the event. As she carefully placed caps onto the board for maximum visual impact, Tonks said, "I like the fact that we're using bottle caps, because it reinforces the whole recycling idea." "We are taking things that you think you would never use and creating something really beautiful with it," she said. "It's an awesome message to send out." Mann, who helped guide students through the process of creating the bottle cap art piece, gave students some history of silk screen artwork created by Andy Warhol known as "Flowers." The students' piece included three large panels of flowers, drawing inspiration from Warhol's art. In planning for the creative piece, Mann said, she wanted something that would be big, inexpensive and "have a big impact visually." She found a picture on the Internet of a bottle cap self-portrait created by Chicago-based artist Mary Ellen Croteau and thought this type of artwork would be a good collaborative project for students with a wide range of art interests. The art field includes more than just painters and sculptors, encompassing a wide range of career paths, such as animators, architects, fashion designers, filmmakers, graphic designers, interior designers and photographers. Mann tried to give students advice based on their particular field of interest while helping students create the art piece. She told those interested in photography to think of the bottle caps like pixels in a photograph when placing the caps on the colored boards. She also suggested layering caps to provide greater depth and intensity of color. The students got involved even before the event, collecting and sorting bottle caps for the art piece. Two Twelve Arts Center, Busch's ValuLand, Walmart and many individuals donated for the Art Day event. During her morning at the school, Mann was able to give the students some more general advice about life. "I talked to them about the two most important things they need to do, which is to take care their health and their identity." Mann told the students to "major in whatever makes you get out of bed in the morning." "Cultivate your curiosity. Curiosity is one of your biggest assets." "Define for yourself what you want to be," she said, "and stay honest with yourself." The students were given an opportunity to give some feedback on the event by filling out a short survey at the close of the sessions. They showed their appreciation for Mann and student alumni with enthusiastic applause. Hughes said she is hoping to gikd another Art Day at the school next year. Lori Maranville is a freelance writer. She can be reached at lorimaranville@att.net.