Student Art League Hosts High School Art Exhibit

By Angelique D’Alessandro
Assistant Online Editor

“Advanced Visions 14” was a visual art exhibition shown in the S.A.L Gallery, located in the B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library from Dec. 12 to Jan. 24. The show highlighted work done by high school artists from local school districts. The event, in its fourteenth year, allows high school artists in advanced placement and international baccalaureate classes to submit original pieces to be judged by art professors. From those submissions, three “juror’s awards” are granted, and six honorable mentions are given.

The student work hung on the gallery walls included a variety of paintings, sketches, and photographs. The gallery also included sculptures.

Cristina Lomangino, exhibition coordinator, helps plan student art shows on campus, including the “Advanced Visions” event. “We send a call out to local schools, and teachers enter [students],” Lomangino said. “We usually have 70 pieces, but this year there are 78. From that pool, LIU art department professors survey the work and select the winners.”

The three student artists chosen for juror’s awards were Casey Goldstein from Half Hollow Hills High School for her work “Age Translated into Wisdom,” Meghan McCarthy from Floral Park High School for her work “What’s Inside,” and Sehjin Kim from the Paul D. Schreiber High School, for her work “Mirrors.”

In “Age Translated into Wisdom,” Goldstein illustrates two male faces. In the first, the man’s face is comprised entirely of skin, apart from his mouth, nose, and cheeks which are covered by sketched paper. In the second, the man’s face is entirely sketched, but his mouth, nose, and cheeks are covered in peeling skin. In McCarthy’s “What’s Inside,” the figure of a woman measures her thighs and waist with measuring tape. In Kim’s “Mirrors,” the artist works with paint to illustrate a bathroom with sinks and mirrors lining the walls. Student artists were encouraged to take home their work after the event.

Seung Lee, an art professor at Post and one of the judges of the student artwork explained what judges look for in the pieces, mentioning the key components of concept, method, and form. “Usually we look for concept: artwork that shows a unique idea,” Lee said. “We look for technique that is more traditional, how [the students] use materials, and how they compose.”

Students that exhibit these qualities receive accolades for their work. “[Winners] get to put this on their resume and in their portfolio for college,” Lee said. “To be selected is a big deal.”