Huntington High School sophomore Mia D’Alessandro has developed into an outstanding young artist. The teenager currently has a sensational piece on display at the Heckscher Museum of Art’s Long Island’s Best Young artists show running through April 15.
“Mia D’Alessandro stands out as a talented and dedicated art student,” high school art teacher Kristin Singer said. “For the past two years, I have been impressed with her ability to create both beautiful and reflective works of art. For her Long Island’s Best Young Artist submission, she worked independently at home creating her art using the program, PowerPoint. My department faculty colleague Kasmira Mohanty assisted her with the final composition and in printing the artwork.”
Heckscher Museum curator Lisa Chalif and guest juror artist Doug Reina juried the current exhibition. A total of 385 works of art were submitted by students from 62 high schools across Nassau and Suffolk. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, March 24.
“The closer we get to someone, the more we know their true selves,” said Ms. D’Alessandro in an artist’s statement that accompanies her work at the exhibition. “In my piece, the pop art and color concepts are influenced by Roy Lichtenstein’s, This Must Be the Place. The art styles found during the 60’s and 70’s are full of color and depth in feelings, which inspired the meaning behind my piece. The closer the woman gets to the viewer, the more of her true self is exposed, revealing the harsh truth about her feelings. As an interpretation of the progression of friendship, this piece shows that not all people feel the way they look from a distance, and often their true selves are more depressive. This piece began with photographs, advancing to the digital medium, focusing on colors and portraying the emotion.”
The Long Island’s Best exhibition features 80 extraordinary works of art created by young artists from across Long Island. Now in its 22nd year, the annual show invites students in grades 9-12 to “choose a work of art in the Heckscher Museum’s collection as the starting point for their own creative exploration,” according to a program description. “The quality of artwork is exceptional and delivers a professional-level show in a broad range of media, styles, and subjects. Each student has written an artist statement describing their inspiration and artistic process. An image of the inspiration artwork is also provided to deepen visual connections.”
