Wantagh H.S. artists exhibit their work

Student artists display works at county art show

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Splattered paint in vibrant colors covered the tables in Wantagh High School art teacher Jacqueline Gallo’s classroom as she spoke about her five Advanced Placement art students who were selected to display their works in

the 2018 Nassau County High School Student Juried Exhibit.

The artwork of Keiran Douglas, Cristina Paier, Caitlyn Parisi, Lauren Salerno and Athena Yao was on display at the Art Guild at Elderfields Preserve, in Manhasset, Nov. 3-25, according to a Wantagh School District news release.

The Art Guild contacted Nassau County high schools to ask about student artwork for the event, Gallo said. “One of the reasons why I think it’s really important for them to show outside of the district is if they’re going to go into any art programs or any kind of field that would involve fine arts as a creative person, this is part of it,” she said. “The great thing about this is that they’re giving them the opportunity to do this at a young age.”

Gallo said she loved how this experience connected her 14 A.P. students with the community, other schools and students of the same age. It also helped them learn the process of showcasing their work. Being chosen for the exhibit is an honor, she said, and she wanted students to go through the whole application process.

The students filled out applications, took and scanned images of their work and gave their submissions titles. Those who received notices of acceptance then framed their pieces before dropping them off at the guild. The school district paid their entry fees.

Students are currently working on their first portfolios for A.P. College Board entries, and each chose “range of approach” pieces. The works consist mainly of drawn and painted 2D work, according to Gallo. TwoD differs from 3D in the level of realism it is able to portray, according to the online tutorial website Study.com.

Exhibits allow students’ “own unique thoughts and ideas to go out into the world,” Gallo said. “Your personal opinions, your personal expression, is now out there for other people to learn from.”

The A.P. students have also entered the Art and Writing Awards competition in New York City, and will enter the Go APE —Advanced Placement Exhibition — hosted by the Art League of Long Island Feb. 17 to March 4 at the Jeannie Tenglesen Gallery in Dix Hills. They will submit their work to local shows as well, such as the Nassau County Supervisors show at Farmingdale State College. Gallo also hopes to have them enter the Congressional Art Competition, which takes place each spring. Last year, Wantagh High received an honorable mention for one of its students, Jason Yin.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for them to get out there,” Gallo said. “I’m excited for them.” The competitions are good for the students’ resumes as they move into art programs in college, she added.

Gallo, an artist herself, has taken a few classes at the Art Guild, and showcased her own work there. She is currently working on a series of women entrepreneurs of the North Fork at her studio.

Gallo always knew she wanted to be an artist, but she didn’t know she wanted to be a teacher. “But what’s better than talking about what you love all day and kind of inspiring the next generation?” she said.

“The show went very well,” Gallo said after last month’s exhibit. “The kids had the experience I was looking for.”

Sixteen-year-old junior Athena Yao said she entered it — with an acrylic still life of shoes — because she wanted it to be seen by other people besides her classmates. She said she hoped to combine art and science in college.

She is currently working on another still life, as well as a portrait. “I like just getting into the zone and feeling like nothing else is important,” she said.

Senior Keiran Douglas, 17, entered a self-portrait, because he felt it was one of his best pieces. He teaches pottery outside school. “I’ve never really been into sports or anything, so this was the next best thing,” he said.

Douglas is now working on an acrylic painting based on a photo he took at the Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack. He is considering studying interior design at the Fashion Institute of Technology or the New York Institute of Technology.

Cristina Paier, a 15-year-old junior, entered a colored-pencil drawing of shoes and a charcoal drawing of a person sleeping. “I’m really into realistic drawing,” she said.

Paier said she was drawn to art because her older sister is an artist. She hopes to study architecture in college.