Huntington Artists Selected for High Arts Showcase XXII

Seven Huntington High School students have had their artwork selected for exhibit at High Arts Showcase XXII at the Main Street Gallery in Huntington from March 31-April 26. An opening reception will be held on April 17 from 4-7 p.m.

The High Arts Showcase Exhibition is an opportunity for junior and senior artists in JOURNEY partner schools to present their artwork in a gallery setting. These students learn firsthand what is involved throughout a gallery exhibition; from submitting entries and writing an artist’s statement to titling, framing and pricing their artwork.

Here are profiles of the seven participating Huntington High School artists:

Student Artist: Sofia Vias

Grade: 12

Teacher: Pam Piffard

Sofia Vias is a student photographer at Huntington High School whose work centers on friendship, memory, and emotional connection. Drawn to narrative imagery, she uses her camera as a way to explore how relationships shape identity and how shared experiences define the feeling of growing up. Her photography explores the quiet nostalgia that exists within shared experiences, preserving moments that may seem ordinary at the time but later become deeply meaningful memories. The image presented here, a group of girls hold hands as they jump into a lake together, suspended in a split second between safety and freedom, childhood and independence. Their linked hands symbolize trust, support, and the courage that friendship provides, while the water below suggests change and the inevitability of growing up. Her work invites viewers to reconnect with their own memories of connection, youth, and the people who made those moments unforgettable

Student Artist: Shannon Koepele

Grade: 12

Teacher: Pam Piffard

Shannon Koepele’s photography explores the quiet, often overlooked presence of loneliness that can exist beneath surfaces that appear beautiful, calm, or carefully composed. Her work focuses on the contrast between what is seen and what is felt, showing how an image can be visually appealing while holding a deeper emotional weight. Through the use of light, setting, and aesthetic elegance, she questions how isolation can be hidden, polished, or even socially acceptable.

In this image, a ballerina sits alone in the snow, holding dried, lifeless flowers. The soft light and graceful pose suggest delicacy and beauty. The snow creates a sense of stillness and silence, while the dead flowers act as a metaphor for emotional exhaustion, loss, or something that once thrived but no longer does. The dancer — a symbol often associated with discipline, grace, and poise — appears composed on the surface, but her placement within the vast, cold landscape emphasizes emotional distance and solitude. By pairing aesthetic appeal with restrained emotional cues, her work invites viewers to consider how often loneliness exists in plain sight — not dramatic or obvious, but quiet, controlled, and hidden beneath something that looks perfectly fine.

Student Artist: Jamyn Husselbeck

Grade 12

Teacher: Kristin Singer

Title: Ascend

“Titled Ascend, my drypoint print explores the underlying theme of growth shaped by nostalgia,” said Ms. Husselbeck in an artist’s statement. “The piece views life through an architectural lens, using a spiral staircase to symbolize how we move upward while remaining connected to where we began. As figures climb, they instinctively look down at the steps below, reflecting how progress is intertwined with memory. By choosing drypoint I was able to portray rich lines and soft burr, ultimately creating depth and shadow. Reinforcing the physical yet emotional weight of each step. In Ascend, the act of rising becomes more than movement; it becomes a meditation on how the past supports our climb forward.”

Student Artist: Anya Goleski

Grade 11

Teacher: Kristin Singer

Title: Chosen Family

“My artwork is about my chosen family, my friends, and the experiences we have shared while growing up together,” said Ms. Goleski in an artist’s statement. “Unlike traditional family, chosen family is made up of the people you meet along the way who choose to support, understand, and care for you. This piece is a collection of memories that represent those connections and the moments that shaped us. The collage is created from small objects, scraps, and keepsakes I have collected over the years. Each item comes from an adventure, a place, or a shared moment, such as ticket stubs, wrappers, notes, and drawings. These objects may seem ordinary on their own, but together they tell the story of our friendship and the memories that mean the most to me. I like the idea that something so small can hold so much meaning. The drawn portraits represent growth and change. They reflect how my friends and I have evolved over time while still remaining connected. By layering materials, textures, and colors, I wanted to show how memories overlap and how the past continues to shape who we are today.

“This artwork shows the difference between family you are born into and family you choose. My friends have supported me through challenges, celebrated my successes, and helped me become who I am. This piece is a visual reminder of how important those relationships are and how powerful shared experiences can be.”

Student Artist: Victoria Hart

Grade: 12

Teacher: Kasmira Mohanty

Title: Low-Poly Sovereign

his piece explores the idea of strength and identity through fragmentation. The eagle—long associated with freedom, vigilance, and power—is rendered here not as a smooth, natural form, but as a composition of sharp geometric facets. This intentional fragmentation reflects how ideals like freedom and resilience are not singular or simple; they are built from many experiences, choices, and perspectives. By breaking the image into angular planes, the work suggests that even symbols we view as timeless are constructed, evolving, and shaped by structure as much as instinct.

he muse for this piece was the balance between nature and modern design. The eagle’s steady gaze conveys authority and calm, while the polygonal style introduces a contemporary, almost architectural feel. Together, they create a dialogue between the organic and the engineered—instinct versus intention.

dobe Illustrator was chosen as the medium because of its precision and flexibility with vector shapes. The program allows for clean, deliberate geometry and sharp color control, which are essential to the low-poly aesthetic. Illustrator’s tools make it possible to reduce a complex natural subject into fundamental shapes without losing its emotional presence, reinforcing the concept that clarity and meaning can emerge from simplification.

Student Artist: Amaya Joly

Grade 12

Teacher: Kim Valerio

Title: Renata (Reborn)

Feathers are associated with flight, transformation, and a bridge between current, limited circumstances and a new, free future. Similar to a caterpillar in a chrysalis, surgery can be seen as the necessary, sometimes uncomfortable, process of shedding an old, limiting form to emerge as a truer, more authentic, or healthier self. Feathers to me resemble freedom and hope, such as feathers of a bird letting down its wings, and taking flight into a new chapter of life. This inspired dress is a physical manifestation of that transition, a soft, resilient armor that embraces the scars of the past while celebrating the lightness of the future. It is not just about shedding old skin, but stepping into the air, fully restored and ready to soar with confidence.

Student Artist: Olivia McGreevy

Grade: 12

Teacher: Ayallah Jeddah

Title: Mirrored Memories

“My piece, “Mirrored Memories” is inspired by designs I saw around my home growing up,” said Ms. McGreevy in an artist’s statement. “‘Mirrored Memories’ is a combination of traditional designs mixed with my own personal memories of childhood, creating a sense of familiarity and nostalgia. Growing up, I was fascinated by the designs of the artwork I would see in my home. In ‘Mirrored Memories,’ you find interesting shapes and the negative space created as you continue to look at the piece. My piece is meant to show how we will always be drawn to younger experiences and memories, without even realizing it. The added mirror represents memories which will always be reflected back onto us and shape our identities.”

Why did I choose this media?

“I chose ceramic tile influenced by the Cuerda Seca technique because it displayed a clean mirrored pattern that was pleasing to the eye,” Ms. McGreevy said. “This media reflects back on the nostalgic feeling I got while I was recreating it.”