Accomplished McCaskey art students exhibiting are Lisa Kyler (from left), Dan McEwen, Megan Whitney, Hannah Kreider, Jordyn Martin and Ruth Pham.
Carter & McRae Elementary School students exhibiting include: DiAsia Gillis (front row, left), teacher Jonalyn Denlinger (right); second row, from left: Tyhim Maxton, Max Gonzalez, Melanie Martinez; third row, from left: Brandon Forcier, Mari-Celas Perez, Nykiria Reid; fourth row, from left: Tara Murray, Jaime Arroyo, Vanessa Berke; fifth row, from left: Laney Bomberger, Lisa Chille, Tracie Kurtz; sixth row, from left: Abby Brubaker, Aaron Goshert.
Nine AP Art students from Hempfield High School will showcase their work at State of the Art Custom Framing & Gallery, East Petersburg, through May 17.
Students in Carter & MacRae Elementary School's Big Brothers Big Sisters program took pictures of important people and places in their lives.
Students in Carter & MacRae Elementary School's Big Brothers Big Sisters program took pictures of important people and places in their lives.
Students in Carter & MacRae Elementary School's Big Brothers Big Sisters program took pictures of important people and places in their lives.
The exhibit by McCaskey AP Art students includes graphic art by Dan McEwen.
The exhibit by McCaskey AP Art students includes art by Hannah Kreider.
The exhibit by McCaskey AP Art students includes photography by Lisa Kyler.
The exhibit by Hempfield AP Art students includes work by Ashley Miller.
The exhibit by Hempfield AP Art students includes work by Abby Rosier.
The exhibit by Hempfield AP Art students includes work by Erik Hess.
For Ruth Pham, a senior at McCaskey High School, photography provides an outlet to express herself.
"I love that when you have the camera and the lens in front of you, you can show things that you want to reveal about yourself," says the International Baccalaureate student, 18. "What you photograph shows who you are."
For Max Gonzalez, a fourth-grader at Carter & MacRae Elementary School, in Lancaster, taking pictures offers a way to capture everyday experiences.
"I took pictures of my family and friends," says Max, 9, who participated in a program through Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Both students, along with their classmates, will have work displayed during May's First Friday exhibits.
Although Ruth is twice Max's age, both photographers share the same sentiment about the exhibit, which will be their first public show.
"I'm so excited and happy about this," Ruth says.
Echoes Max, "At first I was unsure about it, because I've never had pictures on display before, but now I can't wait."
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Ruth and five classmates in Lisa Wolf's senior AP Art class will showcase work from their senior portfolios at Building Character, 342 N. Queen St., Warehouse B, beginning Friday.
"The exhibit celebrates the 70th birthday of McCaskey," Wolf says. "It's called the 'Senior Portfolio — and Other Works' and will show a variety of mediums."
Ruth, who will attend Temple University as a biology major this fall, won a Gold Key in the Scholastic Art Awards this year for her photography portfolio.
Along with classmates Megan Whitney and Lisa Kyler, Ruth has a photo that's part of a permanent collection in the Capital building in Harrisburg.
Megan, 18, also won a Gold Key in the Scholastic Arts competition for photography, and along with Lisa, just completed a semester of duel enrollment at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, in Lancaster.
A photographer since her sophomore year, Megan says the chance to showcase her work to the public is the culmination of a long-term goal.
"It makes me feel really proud of myself, because it's what I've been working up to for the past few years," she says.
She works in both color and black-and-white photography and says art offers the best way for her to express herself and connect with others.
"There is unlimited potential with art," she says. "It's very personal, but it's a universal language. Everyone can relate to it."
Lisa, 19, specializes in photography and painting and is considering a career as a photojournalist.
The 2007 Emerging Artist at Red Raven Gallery in Lancaster, Lisa has exhibited her work previously at Art & Glassworks downtown and will attend Millersville University in the fall.
"I have a lot of creativity inside me, and art is a way to get that all out," she says.
Hannah Kreider, 18, agrees that art is a great form of expression but adds that it goes much deeper than that.
"I love the rich history behind it," says Hannah, who works mainly in painting and drawing, with some dabbling in sculpture. "I love being a part of something that's always growing."
Hannah has been accepted into the studio art program at Montreal's Concordia University and has made her mark on the world by designing posters for various organizations, including Amnesty International.
For classmates Dan McEwen and Jordyn Martin, both 18, art offers a way to stand out from the crowd.
Dan specializes in digital imagery and comic-book art and published a comic book, called "Drawing Blanks," in January.
"This kind of art has its own idiosyncratic language," he says. "It's a frequently misunderstood medium, although it's climbing the social ladder nowadays."
Jordyn, also an International Baccalaureate candidate, has a portfolio that features drawing, painting and photography, with a concentration on works that focus on vanity and self-image.
Being in the IB program requires students to explore different mediums, she says, and to complete an extensive research workbook that will be judged by critics all over the world.
"Art really helps me relax," says Jordyn, who exhibited her work at the Art & Glassworks in 2007. "Art helps me be different and stand out from being a regular teenager. I like being creative and trying new things."
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Trying something new led to the exhibit of student artwork at The Infantree gallery for First Friday as well, gallery co-owner Tim Hoover says.
"Our goal at the gallery is to bring fresh art and a new perspective to Gallery Row and the First Friday scene," he says.
The Infantree will showcase the work of 24 students in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program at Carter & MacRae, who were given disposable cameras and first focused on composition and then on taking portraits of the important people in their lives.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for these kids, and they are all excited," says Jonalyn Denlinger, bilingual case worker for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Lancaster.
The idea for the exhibit came after a casual conversation between Denlinger, Hoover, photographer Carrie Keagy and gallery co-owner Jed Burkholder.
"Initially our idea was to interview city residents of all ages, and all walks of life," Hoover says. "That vision organically grew into a desire to connect with the children of Lancaster."
Unlike the McCaskey show, where the high-school students will have the opportunity to sell their work, none of the images taken by the Carter & MacRae students will be for sale.
"We want the children to have their images at the end of the month," Hoover says. "We believe that having a gallery should be about more than moving art."
He says he expects the exhibit to have a positive impact on the students — all second- through fifth-graders — some of whom had never used a camera before.
"We were really attracted to the artistic innocence of children and the unfiltered honesty that their images may produce," Hoover says.
"Sometimes the best artistic expressions are the ones that happen void of rules and guidelines. (The kids were taught) general composition and camera use, but we let the students have a lot of freedom."
In addition to the disposable cameras, each student had a chance to take pictures with a professional camera.
"It was big and heavy!" says Max, describing the first time he held the large camera. "It was really fun to use."
Mari-celas Perez, a 10-year-old fourth-grader, used her camera to take pictures of her backyard and important people in her life.
"I look pictures of my grandpa," she says. "It was neat."
Mari-celas says the whole experience has made her want to pursue more photography in the future.
"My grandpa was really happy when I took his picture," she says. "It felt really good to do it."
FYI
WHAT:
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WHAT: "Senior Portfolio Show — and Other Works," featuring McCaskey seniors Hannah Kreider, Lisa Kyler, Jordyn Martin, Dan McEwen, Ruth Pham and Megan Whitney
WHERE: Building Character, 342 N. Queen St., Warehouse B, Lancaster
WHEN: Reception 6 to 9 p.m. Friday. Work will be on display all month, with space for a permanent McCaskey collection.
MORE STUDENT ART
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WHAT: "Senior Show" — Selected works from fine arts, graphic design, illustration and photography majors
WHERE: PA College of Art & Design, 204 N. Prince St.
WHEN: Friday, May 2; gallery open 7:45 a.m. to 9 p.m.; show runs through May 23
INFO: 396-7833