The Mayor’s Art Show

Learn more about five North Olmsted High School student artists whose work will be on display during the Mayor’s Art Show exhibit from Friday, March 23rd through Friday, April 27th. 

The Mayor’s Art Show is a reoccurring collaboration between the Arts Commission and the North Olmsted High School Art Department. The goal of this annual event is to increase public awareness and appreciation for art while recognizing North Olmsted students who have obtained a high level of achievement in the visual arts. The public is welcome to join city and school officials at the 2018 gallery opening event from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at City Hall to celebrate these outstanding student artists in our community. View the full event here.

How did you become interested in art?

Taegan Meredith, Grade 12: Art is something that I have always loved doing. Over the years, it had taken on a much larger role in my life. To me, art is therapeutic and allows me to relax and express myself. I started seeing the benefits of creating art and just stuck with it.

Kiara Jones, Grade 12: Art is something I’ve enjoyed doing since kindergarten, so I wouldn’t really say there was a specific time it caught my interest, but it is something I’ve always done and loved.

Allison Flatico, Grade 12: My mom has always been involved in art, so I grew up around it.

Michael Musial, Grade 12: My family was very artistically talented, so I was exposed to art at a young age.

Colin Dunn, Grade 12: I just had a talent for it and went for it.

 

What is your inspiration or motivation behind your artwork?

Taegan: My favorite subject to draw is people, because everyone is so unique and I love being able to capture their individuality. I always try and make the portraits unique in some way instead of just drawing a person.

Kiara: Honestly. motivation for my art begins from emotion and being a person. I’m inspired by everything around me and all the things it makes me feel.

Allison: I get inspiration for my photos from many things, such as different locations, movies, and artists I respect.

Michael: My inspiration is to put my mind and thoughts on the paper because I can then express myself to others.

Colin: I’m really inspired by music.

 

 What is the takeaway you want people to leave with after viewing your artwork?

Taegan: I want them to see that every artist has a different style, and mine is a reflection of who I am. I hope it is evident that art is one of my passions.

Kiara: I want people to understand that we are all purely and rawly human and that other people feel just as widely and deeply as you do in every way.  I want to be part of the human experience and art is a physical thing that allows me to do that. I want to help other people feel and do that as well.

Allison: I hope that when viewing my work, people understand photography is just as challenging and respectable as other art forms.

Michael: Hopefully people will become inspired in their life in whatever they do, so they can make an impact on another person’s life and keep a chain of motivation going.

Colin: I want people to take away the admiration I have for music and art.

How will you be carrying this into the future?

Taegan: In college, I plan on double majoring in psychology and art therapy. I am so excited to learn about the ways that I can use art to help benefit the lives of others!

Kiara: Art will stick with me through college where I plan to get some kind of art degree, but then hopefully it will also follow me through being lucky enough to make art as a career. Regardless of what exactly the future brings, it will always be something I’ll do.

Allison: I plan on studying art in college and later possibility pursuing a career in the field.

Michael: I’ll be using art to create ideas, as well as using my talent for business marketing.

Colin: I am going to Kent State University for visual communications design.

Do you have a favorite artist?

Taegan: I don’t have one favorite artist. There are many that I admire and try to emanate their style by combining it with my own.

Kiara: There are many artists I look up to and I enjoy the work of, but when I think of painting, I think of contemporary artist Elly Smallwood and the late abstract expressionist Mark Rothko. Smallwood’s feminine subject matter and style of painting as well Rothko’s ideas of human emotion and abstraction really resonate with me as an artist and even simply as human being.

Allison: I really like Dorothea Lange’s Depression-era work as well as the portraits done by Rachel Gulotta.

Michael: Not necessarily, I like to nitpick certain parts of what I’m exposed to so I have a variety of options.

Colin: My favorite artist is probably Vincent Van Gogh.