The 25th Anniversary of the ARTs Festival!

What a pleasure to welcome back old friends and meet some new ones this year!

Our visiting artists included Bill Wolff, an adjunct professor at RIT and worked with the Sculpture and Mixed Media Classes. 

Bill Wolff earned a Masters in Sculpture (Wood) from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2009. He also did post graduate research at Tokyo University of the Arts from 2005-2007. He earned an MFA in Sculpture from Louisiana State University in 2004 and a BFA in Sculpture from Binghamton University in 2000.

 

 

Loreal Prystaj worked with students in our Photography classes to create dark fairy tales.

Loreal Prystaj grew up in Fairport, graduated from Fairport High School, and then went to the Fashion Institute of Technology where she graduated in May 2013. She starting becoming interested in Photography in 2008, and she has been addicted since! Her work has been published and exhibited in galleries, and collections.

 

 

 

 

 

Justyn Iannucci was a guest artist with our Drawing and Painting Classes.

 

Justyn Iannucci works as a freelance Illustrator working out of Upstate NY. Formal training includes a Bachelors of Fine Art in Illustration from the Rochester Institute of Technology as well as an Associates Degree in Graphic Arts and Printing from Monroe Community College.

 

 

Eddie Davis worked with our students at the junior high level.

 

Eddie Davis III has taught at the Memorial Art Gallery’s Creative Workshop since 1996, most recently drawing and design classes for kids and teens.

Eddie earned a BFA in industrial design at Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in sculpture at Rochester Institute of Technology. He served as assistant professor of industrial design in RIT’s College of Imaging Arts & Sciences from 2004-08.

The Pickpockets were our musical guests who got rave reviews by both students and staff!

 

Ed Keegan was also a visiting musician, and he came in and led a drum circle to close out the day.

 

We also had two retired art teachers from the district come back and show that doing art is something we NEVER retire from! Thank you to Bob Geroux and Len Crellin for coming in and sharing yourselves and your work!

 

 

Thanks to all the ambassadors, alumni, artists, musicians and staff members who made this a fantastic day!  Despite the fact that it was rainy outside and we were forced to go to our indoor "plan B" your enthusiasm and hard work made it feel like it was a sunshiny day INSIDE!! What a great day! Many thanks to all the hard workers who made it look easy!

Exhibition at I-Square Visions

 

Closing reception will be Friday April 26th from 7-9pm. Please come and see student and teacher artwork from Irondequoit,  Kearney and Eastridge High Schools!  There will be food, entertainment, and lots of fantastic people to mingle with. Everyone will be there. You should join us, too.

Vessel Designs

Sculpture and Mixed Media A (begining level) students just completed their vessel design projects where they used cardboard, plaster, wire and other assorted materials to create works of art that also could function as a vessel to hold or store another item. The one above is probably the coolest fish food storage unit I've ever seen! The head comes off to show an underwater scene inside of a drawer. Emily even brought in her fish food to be absolutely certain that it would fit inside properly!

All of these pieces have one or more storage areas inside of them for different purposes.  Students were told that the appearance of the inside should be just as interesting, if not more interesting than what is seen on the outside. Joe, Anna, and Alana's work are all shown below.

Status Report

Every once in a while I wonder if anyone ever actually looks at this page, and this is what I found out today... I guess I need to keep writing and showing the world what a few high school students can do with a random assortment of supplies and a little encouragement. Thanks to those of you who take the time to browse!  Pageviews by Countries Entry Pageviews United States 533 Russia 43 Germany 18 Canada 5 Switzerland 3 France 3 Australia 2 United Kingdom 2 Philippines 2 Malaysia 1

So Many Exciting Things!

It's really hard to keep track of all the comings and goings with public art exhibitions going on all around town! The Youth Art Month Show at the Arts Council of Greater Rochester closes this weekend with a brunch reception on March 23rd from 10am-2pm.

Meanwhile, Image City Gallery is hosting "Through the Student Lens" highlighting photography by high school students from March 20-April 14, 2013.

Finally, the I-Square Visions Gallery here in Irondequoit will be exhibiting Tri-Square: work from students from Bishop Kearney, Eastridge and Irondequoit High Schools beginning on April 9th and running through April 26th. Closing reception will be on Friday April 26, 2013. The flyer below was created by a Kearney student.

And... While we're celebrating the successes of amazing students... My Sculpture and Mixed Media C students just completed their "Project Runway" assignment where they created clothing out of recycled materials. Some of the photos (taken by Mr. Conner):

John, made from lawn and leaf bags, charcoal and masking tape.

 Lexi, made from an old purse and a rice bag.

Mandy (dress made by Tarie) from tissue paper, construction paper and a white kitchen garbage bag.

 Michaela, dress made from an oversized children's book.

Holly, white and black garbage bags, soda tabs, and duct tape.

Note the accessories (bracelet and necklace also made from soda tabs).

Your accomplishments continue to blow me away.  I have the best job in the world!

Youth Art Month Exhibit

I spent the day today setting up a new exhibition with colleagues from Webster and Penfield School Districts. This Friday night March 1st from 4-9pm there will be a very special opening event where High School art work from three schools will be highlighted.  Gallery at The Arts and Cultural Council 277 North Goodman St. Rochester, NY 14607 (585) 473-4000 A Celebration of Youth Art Month Showcasing the artistic talents of students from Irondequoit, Penfield, and Webster High Schools. On exhibit March 1-28. Here is a sneak peak at of some of the work. Go to the show. It is incredible! Special thanks to Jeff Crane and the superintendents of Webster and Penfield School Districts who arranged funding and catering for this event. The set up crew of myself along with Anne Punzi, Todd Stahl and Bill Stephens were a great team who worked well together to make visual and thematic connections throughout the show.  Hope to see you there!

February Break

So... looking for something fun and creative to do over February break? Check out this link for a glass camp especially for high school students right here in Rochester! This is an amazing opportunity and a reasonable price if you think of the cost of materials. Make sure to let me know if you decide to sign up!