Howard students explore identity in art gallery show
Trisha Anand, whose sharpie and watercolor “I Am More Than What You See” presents 12 different depictions of her face.
What they have in common is the directness of the artist’s gaze. Also worth noting is how a sharpie facilitates the spontaneous mark making used to depict these dozen faces.
If some artists present one face to the world and others present multiple faces, Natalie Verna in effect presents no face to the world. That’s because this 12th-grader at Reservoir Hill High School has a black-and-white photograph titled “What’s Your Story” in which the side profile view of a woman’s face is so deeply placed in shadow that you can’t make out any facial details. This photo suggests that it’s not always easy to see people and, by extension, understand who they are.
For viewers confronted with so many artworks dealing with identity, a constant source of interest is to make note of how students at these schools had assignments calling on them to address the topic through various mediums.
Mariyah Osei-Asamoah, a fifth-grader at Northfield Elementary School, has a mixedmedia piece titled “African-American Queen” in which a mask supports a flag, beads and other items.
Brooke Ridgely, a fourth-grader at Waverly Elementary School, does not have any facial imagery at all in “Brooke’s World.”
That’s because she has made child-sized ceramic hands on which she used colored pencil to draw such things as an Oreo cookie, cupcake and pizza. This foodrelated identity seems like a balanced diet to us!
Among the students making “mini-me” dolls at Oakland Mills Middle School is seventh-grader Katerin Ventura-Amaya, whose “mini-me — Dressed and Ready” is wearing a smartly conceived black outfit and, for that matter, also wearing a welcoming smile.
This abundance of artwork in the arts center’s Gallery I is complemented by an exhibit in Gallery II, “Teaching and Making with Big Ideas in Mind.” It showcases the work of Howard County Public School System art teachers who took part in a professional development course.
Just as the exhibited artwork in Gallery I has explanatory text panels explaining how the overall art assignment was handled in each school, the exhibit in Gallery II has extensive text panels in which individual art teachers explain the work they have on display.
Matthew Hanson, who teaches at Howard High School, is exhibiting a series of color photographs titled “Food That Changed My Life.” A personal story is attached to “Joe’s Baked Rigatoni, Marriottsville, Maryland,” for instance. Besides the interesting autobiographical observa-tions accompanying it, this photo is especially notable for how Hanson has arranged rigatoni, garlic, onions, tomatoes and other ingredients on the table. The artist likens the composition to still lifes from the Baroque era.
Lori Mellendick, who teaches at Ducketts Lane Elementary School, has four landscape paintings made with pastel, paint, graphite and ink. These are abstracted compositions in which horizontal bands of color are loosely applied. As the artist observes in an accompanying statement, she likes to make “spontaneous choices and quick decisions.”
About the exhibit “Defining Ourselves: I Am More Than What You See,” and “Teaching and Making with Big Ideas in Mind” run through April 19 at the Howard County Arts Council, 8510 High Ridge Road in Ellicott City. Call 410-313-2787 or go to hocoarts.org.
What they have in common is the directness of the artist’s gaze. Also worth noting is how a sharpie facilitates the spontaneous mark making used to depict these dozen faces.
If some artists present one face to the world and others present multiple faces, Natalie Verna in effect presents no face to the world. That’s because this 12th-grader at Reservoir Hill High School has a black-and-white photograph titled “What’s Your Story” in which the side profile view of a woman’s face is so deeply placed in shadow that you can’t make out any facial details. This photo suggests that it’s not always easy to see people and, by extension, understand who they are.
For viewers confronted with so many artworks dealing with identity, a constant source of interest is to make note of how students at these schools had assignments calling on them to address the topic through various mediums.
Mariyah Osei-Asamoah, a fifth-grader at Northfield Elementary School, has a mixedmedia piece titled “African-American Queen” in which a mask supports a flag, beads and other items.
Brooke Ridgely, a fourth-grader at Waverly Elementary School, does not have any facial imagery at all in “Brooke’s World.”
That’s because she has made child-sized ceramic hands on which she used colored pencil to draw such things as an Oreo cookie, cupcake and pizza. This foodrelated identity seems like a balanced diet to us!
Among the students making “mini-me” dolls at Oakland Mills Middle School is seventh-grader Katerin Ventura-Amaya, whose “mini-me — Dressed and Ready” is wearing a smartly conceived black outfit and, for that matter, also wearing a welcoming smile.
This abundance of artwork in the arts center’s Gallery I is complemented by an exhibit in Gallery II, “Teaching and Making with Big Ideas in Mind.” It showcases the work of Howard County Public School System art teachers who took part in a professional development course.
Just as the exhibited artwork in Gallery I has explanatory text panels explaining how the overall art assignment was handled in each school, the exhibit in Gallery II has extensive text panels in which individual art teachers explain the work they have on display.
Matthew Hanson, who teaches at Howard High School, is exhibiting a series of color photographs titled “Food That Changed My Life.” A personal story is attached to “Joe’s Baked Rigatoni, Marriottsville, Maryland,” for instance. Besides the interesting autobiographical observa-tions accompanying it, this photo is especially notable for how Hanson has arranged rigatoni, garlic, onions, tomatoes and other ingredients on the table. The artist likens the composition to still lifes from the Baroque era.
Lori Mellendick, who teaches at Ducketts Lane Elementary School, has four landscape paintings made with pastel, paint, graphite and ink. These are abstracted compositions in which horizontal bands of color are loosely applied. As the artist observes in an accompanying statement, she likes to make “spontaneous choices and quick decisions.”
About the exhibit “Defining Ourselves: I Am More Than What You See,” and “Teaching and Making with Big Ideas in Mind” run through April 19 at the Howard County Arts Council, 8510 High Ridge Road in Ellicott City. Call 410-313-2787 or go to hocoarts.org.
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