Huntington Artists Captures LIB Exhibit Awards

Three Huntington High School students claimed awards in the Long Island’s Best Young Artists exhibit at the Heckscher Museum of Art.

Now in its 28th year, Long Island’s Best: Young Artists at The Heckscher Museum is the only juried exhibition on Long Island that offers high school students the opportunity to show their work in a museum. Each year, students in grades 9-12 are invited to create a work of art inspired by artwork shown in the Museum during the school year and submit to this prestigious juried exhibition.

This year, 69 public and private schools submitted students’ artwork for jurying. 456 entries were received and consulting curator Meredith A. Brown and guest juror Andrea Wozny selected 87 for display.

Huntington’s Estiven Segovia Ticas captured a Heckscher Achievement Award in Design in the amount of $200. Sophia Tine garnered the Cozza Family Photography Award, which carries a $125 stipend. Natalie Parrott won the coveted Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award in the amount of $350.

Sophia Tine

Eclectic Thoughts

Digital art

Grade 12; Art Teacher: Kasmira Mohanty

Artist’s Statement: “When I first looked at Dali’s painting, I was transported into a fanciful room filled with bright reds and yellows and a curious lamp. I thought it was interesting that this piece was a collage rather than a traditional painting. These features, along with my own ideas, were the basis of my creation. I thought it would be a great opportunity to work in a style I have never attempted before and used Photoshop to help me delve into this new technique. I wanted to include a photograph of a stylish woman, a nod to Dali’s piece and proceeded to gather elements that were quirky and vintage in nature. I even hid Dali’s lobster phone within my piece so the audience could have a little fun in trying to find it. I converted my model into black and white, creating contrast between her and all the elements placed upon her head. The assembly of the separate elements was challenging, but fun. Not all artwork has to be intensely serious and Surrealists did play games as a catalyst for some of their artwork. I took the same approach in hoping the viewer will have fun identifying and discovering all the fun items I placed within the piece.”

Estiven Segovia Ticas

My Abuela

Cut paper collage

Grade 11; Art Teacher: Kasmira Mohanty

Artist’s Statement: “I was inspired by Olafur Eliasson’s Your House, which incorporates brilliant layering detail. This influenced me to combine the idea of the warmth of family, a common theme in the Raise the Roof exhibit, with layered paper. I decided to create a portrait of my abuela, or grandma. We loved her tremendously and she is no longer with us. My mom was devastated by her passing. I wanted to do something to help ease my mom’s pain and to honor my abuela who was most kind and caring. I used Adobe Illustrator to create the shapes for all of her facial features. This was difficult to figure out how to illustrate all the different shapes because I would then have to convert the shapes from being 2D to 3D. I then separated each shape individually so they could be cut, layering them using spacers to add depth. I chose to use all white to represent my abuela’s pure spirit. Once assembled, the lines and shapes felt symbolic of all the paths my abuela took during the course of her life and how they continue on through the lives of her descendants.”

Natalie Parrott

What I Learned from my Dad

Acrylic on canvas

Grade 11; Art Teacher: Kristin Singer

Artist’s Statement: “I drew inspiration from Robert Carter, appreciating the symbolism embedded in his artwork. For me, Carter’s work symbolized the transmission of artistic knowledge, with music serving as the artist’s chosen representation. The artwork struck a chord with me, reminiscent of the comfort I found in learning to paint from my dad. Utilizing imagery featuring my dad, my brother, and me at the Long Island Biennial at the Heckscher Museum where my dad’s work was exhibited, I aimed to convey my personal interpretation of Carter’s creation. My painting incorporated the parent-child dynamic prevalent in Carter’s work, featuring my dad alongside my brother and me. Taking cues from Carter’s use of the piano as a symbol for the arts, I mirrored this concept in my painting. I centered the artwork around my dad’s drawing and added a subtle spotlight to emulate the piano’s illumination in Carter’s piece. In my composition, I also captured the effect of light shining on the girl’s face. Additionally, I integrated other elements from Carter’s work, dedicating extra attention to detailing my dad’s shirt to highlight the vibrancy of the figures in Carter’s piece.”