Friday, June 20, 2025
Students from the Sewanhaka Central High School District celebrated their artwork during an artist reception at the Elmont Memorial Library on the evening of April 23.
In an art exhibit entitled “Engaged!” 24 students contributed art pieces that encompassed vibrancy, creativity and passion, demonstrating the students’ deep dedication to their craft. With artists ranging from seventh grade students taking their very first art class, to high school seniors mastering their skills in AP Studio Art, the exhibit shows a diverse collection of artwork highlighting student excellence.
Cassandra Papajohn-Shaw, the district coordinator of visual and media arts in the Sewanhaka district, said her goal was to showcase the ways in which students stay engaged in the arts through whatever mediums they choose to express them.
“To be engaged is to be deeply involved, committed and passionately connected,” Papajohn-Shaw remarked during a speech to attendees of the art reception. “These qualities shine through every art piece on display.”
Papajohn-Shaw explained that teachers at all five high schools in the Sewanhaka district—Elmont Memorial, Sewanhaka, H. Frank Carey, New Hyde Park Memorial and Floral Park Memorial—handpicked students from their classes to be featured in the library’s art gallery. She said they look for students who demonstrate hard work, dedication, creativity and enthusiasm for the arts.
Giselle Farquharson, a sophomore at Elmont Memorial, said she is currently enrolled in a drawing and painting class. She said the inspiration for her art piece—a colorful portrait of a young man combining cool blue and purple tones for his skin and hair, with bright hot reds and oranges for his clothing—was visual artist Bisa Butler.
Butler, Giselle explained, takes different fabrics and materials to quilt together colorful, abstract portraits that look like paintings. For Giselle, these colors elicit powerful emotions that influenced her personal artwork.
“It just comes to life,” Giselle said. “The colors that I see that bring up certain emotionsI try to bring that into my work.”
Sewanhaka junior Jennifer Hernandez-Martinez, who is currently enrolled in a photography class, said she is always searching for deeper meaning in the subjects she captures on camera. Her photograph that is featured in the Elmont art exhibit, she explained, was inspired by the unique details incorporated in the architecture of the school building.
Jennifer’s photography instructor is currently teaching the class to explore their own ideas and photograph what they see as meaningful. As a whole, Jennifer said, her eye for photography is largely driven by the patterns evident in nature and the connections they have with the human body.
“I’m trying to show how these things are similar in their own different ways,” Jennifer said of the two naturally occurring subjects.
Her photography, she continued, is intended to evoke a sense of mystery.
Another Sewanhaka junior, Jade Trask, is enrolled in AP Studio Art and utilizes Procreate—a digital art app downloaded on a tablet with a special interface that mimics the experience of drawing on paper—to create her art.
Jade said her illustrations are more surrealistic and inspired by personal introspection.
Her piece for the exhibit, which is a digital drawing that includes two versions of Jade—one as a young child and one at her current age—was inspired by her recent experience at the playground when she saw a young girl and her friend on the swings.
“I was like, what if I put myself in, also as a young child, and we’re looking at each other?” Jade said. “It’s like a reflection of what I used to do when I was young, which was draw.”
All three students said they were interested in continuing their art education and pursuing careers in art or related industries.
