Intricately crocheted animals, vibrant architectural structures, and vivid photographs filled the second-floor gallery on April 24, as four senior artists unveiled the culmination of their high school art careers through six works each.
The Senior Art Show encapsulated not only the students’ hard work and dedication but also their growth, experimentation, and artistic expression over the past four years.
“This particular show is a little bit of everything, so students from a range of visual art electives participate,” Upper School art teacher Christine Holloway said. “It’s an opportunity to showcase their most impressive work from their visual art career here at Latin.”
Students created the displayed art during a range of electives offered at Latin including Photography 1 and Advanced Topics: Art Portfolio. Senior Justin Canelo, for instance, incorporated his personal identity and previous interest in architecture into the work showcased in his senior art display. “A lot of my art is based off my own life and heritage, since I’m from Mexico,” Justin said. “I’m also interested in architecture, so I try to combine those ideas.”
Two particular pieces of his stood out to Justin: one depicting a church from his hometown, recreated with his own style and vision, and the other representing a train station based on Mexico’s national flag.
Justin has pursued art throughout his life, following him throughout his childhood to the present moment. “I’ve always been more of an art kind of person, and recently I’ve been moving to architecture, so that’s how I like to spend my time,” he said.
Similarly to Justin, who works with a variety of mediums, senior Peyton Remmer creates her art using modes from photography to drawing. Through her experimentation, Peyton has even found the confidence to make herself the subject of her work.
Photography teacher Ian Merritt taught Peyton in Photography 2 her senior year. “When we’re doing these assignments, they seem very mundane and simple, and she’ll come back with some super mature piece, absolutely putting herself out there, like in the self-portrait,” he said. “Seeing her [accept] being like, ‘Oh, I’m going to put a photo of myself into a final piece,’ it’s really cool.”
Peyton’s use of her own image within her art reflects a level of self-vulnerability that can be difficult to accept for the artist. “When we take selfies, and we take photos of ourselves, it can be really hard to present that as something that you appreciate. We always like to find the flaws,” Mr. Merritt said.
While the exhibit highlighted multiple areas of Peyton’s visual art, Peyton has devoted much of her time recently to photography, even bringing her camera with her during Project Week in Mallorca. “I’ve had an amazing time playing around with the camera,” she said. “It’s been cool to capture my surroundings and experiment with different features.”
Among Peyton’s supporters during the Art Show were members of the varsity boys volleyball team, for which Peyton serves as a team manager. “It was cool to see Peyton’s amazing artwork, especially [considering] how much she does in her life,” senior and varsity boys volleyball captain Tucker Thayer said.
Alongside Peyton’s photos, a row of senior Charlie Yannias’ favorite photography pieces hung on the walls of Gallery 2. A Latin lifer, Charlie has dedicated much of his time in high school to elevating the quality of his photography.
“I feel very accomplished seeing everyone [at the Art Show] and everyone who’s said nice things to me,” Charlie said. “I’m very grateful for all the resources that Latin has provided me with in regard to photography and art in general.”
Charlie hopes his opportunities at Latin will inspire him beyond high school. “I can’t wait to see what I do next year at [The] Ohio State [University] and onwards,” he said. “Reflecting back, I think I can see a lot of progress from freshman year to senior year now, and I think a lot of that has to do with Mr. Merritt’s advice and assistance.”
Serving as his photography teacher during Charlie’s junior and senior years, Mr. Merritt spoke to Charlie’s love for photography. “Charlie has maturity in how he wants to take [photography]: how he’s obsessed with it, and the need to do it,” Mr. Merritt said. “Real artists will tell you that they don’t love to paint, they need to, so watching him create is very similar—it’s a release of whatever endorphins power us all to grow.”
Charlie’s passion for photography eventually motivated him to submit his work in a competition at the regional level. Winning the Scholastic Art and Writing Gold Key Award for his photograph “Incarcerated Liberty,” Charlie received the Artist Spotlight for his photography work.
That same piece particularly stuck out to junior Theo Garino. “I like ‘Incarcerated Liberty,’” he said. “It’s very nice and very symbolic,”
While other artists created much of their presented work during school, senior Allegra Cerda’s pieces came from her own free time and initiative. “This is stuff that I’ve just made over time,” Allegra said. “It wasn’t for any class—it wasn’t for anything otherwise, so this was kind of a way to be able to show the stuff that I do in my free time and at home that doesn’t really get as much recognition.”
Balancing dance shows, the Advanced Topics: Art Portfolio course, school, and everything else that fills senior year makes Allegra’s free time a luxury. “It’s definitely a very consuming thing to find the time outside of school between assignments and work,” Allegra said.
Despite her busy schedule, her dedication to art is evident in her work. One of her standout pieces was a crochet tapestry—an art style in which each stitch follows a grid to build a pixelated image—which she describes as her favorite in the display.
“You have to switch colors constantly,” she explained, “cutting it, tying it off, putting on the next one.” When the grid is completed, the back of the piece is covered with numerous hanging strings that all must be trimmed and neatly tucked so they are not visible to the viewer.
As graduation approaches and her high school art career nears a close, Allegra finds herself looking back on the education, classes, and teachers she has connected with.
“It’s a little sad, especially the teachers that I’m going to be leaving behind, who inspired me to put all my work together and push me to grow, but I know that I’ll keep drawing, keep crocheting, and making little stickers and things for people,” she said. “I will definitely be continuing art in college, but I’m sadly leaving behind some of the people who’ve been my biggest inspiration.”
Among those Allegra will miss most is her sister, sophomore Paloma Cerda, who has watched Allegra dedicate hours to her craft from a young age. At the Art Show, Paloma said, “It’s been really nice to sit here and to walk around, because this is when we’re going to see other people’s reactions to it. I see her [working] at home all the time, and she spends a lot of time [on] art.”
To Mr. Merritt, the Senior Art Show is proof that art is for everyone who loves and commits to their craft. “Everybody says, ‘I’m not very good at art,’ but I’m like, no—everybody’s good at art. You just need the platform to be able to do it comfortably,” Mr. Merritt said.
