By Jasmine Willis
DANSVILLE — A few school districts came together to showcase their students work at the local art center.
Dansville ArtWorks held its Fifth Annual Student Art Show on Jan. 24 with the Dansville Central, Wayland-Cohocton Central, and Livonia Central art students.
Dansville Central Art Teacher Kristen Pullen said the art show is the best way to show the community what the students are capable of accomplishing.
“This is the best way to show the community the talent of the students. We are not like the music department or sports. We don’t have concerts or games. This is our way of being on display. It is our time to shine in the community,” she said. “We manage to get our students into the art show every year. I am glad to see it get bigger and better every year.”
There were several first-time art exhibit students in the show this year. It was a unique way to get their talents out in the open.
Dansville Junior, Carter Mundt created a photo of a mouth opening up to another world. This was something he found to be very intense.
Dansville Junior, Emily Schleyer, won People’s Choice, with her Pink Flower. This painting shows a vibrant detail of the petals and a lot of hues.
Livonia Senior, Nina Monteleone, won best in nineth through 12thgrade. She had gone outside of the box and done her self-portrait in white charcoal.
“I have always loved doing self-portraits, but I wanted to try doing mine with white charcoal this time,” she said. “I love doing portraits of others too. I plan on being an Art Teacher someday.”
Wayland-Cohocton Seventh-grader, Lilyin Mellick focused on the Snow Owl. The Snow Owl is her favorite kind of Owl. Everyone in her class had to work on some kind of Owl. She was the only one who chose the pure beauty of the white one.
“Only some of us got chosen to be in here. I think I was chosen since I went against the flow. I notice a lot of my friends are on the wall too,” she said. “I had to decide what I wanted to do with my Owl. I am glad I went in a different direction. My art teacher’s son does a lot of research on Owls. He talked to our class about them, and we were able to show him our artwork. I feel like being in this art show is a once in a lifetime thing for me.”
Livonia Senior, Skyelar Coombs, worked on two self-portraits she had in the art gallery.
“I have been doing art all of my life, but this is the first time I have been in an art gallery,” she said. “I really love doing portraits. I want to focus on art therapy someday when I major in Psychology.”
Dansville Junior, Abbey Young, said she has done a lot of beach paintings for her mother.
“I found a photo of a Lighthouse I really loved. I saw it looked calm and serene. I decided I wanted to focus on painting it, and my mom already has dibs on it,” she said. “I thought of her when I painted It since she has always loved these kinds of landscapes. She has a lot of my art hanging around the house.”
Dansville Central Superintendent, Paul Alioto, said he loves to see the art center come alive with student artwork.
“I love to see student artists interact with others from different districts. It is nice to see teachers from other districts share ideas with one another. Everyone is here to learn from one another,” he said.
Dansville Art Teacher, Greg McMaster, said he is happy to see all of his students succeed this year.
“We have participated in this Lions Club contest for 11 years. This is the first time we have ever gone state. My student, Addison Musto is heading for State Finals in New York City. My student, Ella Frazier got second place. The theme of the contest was Journey of Peace. Addison worked so hard. I am so proud of her. She is a really great kid. They are all very dedicated students,” he said. “All of my students work very hard. They all do it right. The students will take risks and take a chance on anything now. All of the art teachers are non-judgmental when it comes to creativity. I have never seen our department so successful.”
The following students were given a certificate and $25.
For grades K-5: Chloe Hoffman - Warm Sun, Cool Skies (Wayland-Cohocton Central); her use of colors, swirls and details kept the jurors discussing the piece.
For grades 6-8: Lucy Sexton - Apple of My Eye (Livonia Central); selected for the quality of composition.
For grades 9-12, 2D: Nina Monteleone - Self-portrait/Charcoal (Livonia Central); the use of negative space resulted in a stunning piece.
For grades 9-12, 3D: Logan Sabins - Kaleidoscope (Wayland-Cohocton Central); impressed jurors by creating a functional kaleidoscope of stained glass.
The above students each received a certificate and $25 cash award.
The final award of the evening was People's Choice, based on popular vote by visitors since the show opened in early January. Emily Schleyer's Flower (oil) received this award and a $25 gift certificate to Dansville ArtWorks. Emily attends Dansville Central and is a student of Matthew Buckholz.