The Rain Barrel Art Project, now in its 10th year, was created to promote the use of rain barrels throughout the Ohio River Valley area through a creative and educational medium. The Rain Barrel Art Project desires to educate people on environmental issues like stormwater runoff, watersheds, and water conservation.

Rain barrels continue to grow in popularity across the country. However, one of its biggest drawbacks is its dull appearance. Some people are less likely to use them given their negative aesthetic impact on residential and commercial landscaping, even though they conserve water and save money. The “Save Local Waters” initiative believes that producing beautiful artistic rain barrels that have unique painted details will make them more desirable and naturally increase interest to promote their use.

This year, OHHS artists in Ms. Kopf’s Painting and Public Art and Ms. Schorsch’s National Art Honor Society created 5 Rain Barrels for the event! Completed Rain Barrels will be displayed at the Cincinnati Zoo from March 27th through April 27th with the Online Auction taking place April 18th through 28th and Artist Reception on April 27th.

Congratulations to Bri Brown, Teagan Charles, Evie Neuhaus, Avril Predmore, and Leah Stolla on the selection of their design by the “Save Local Waters” committee for this year’s event!

The Cincinnati Art Museum recently hosted artist Roberto Lugo as an Artist in Residency in support of his current exhibition, “Roberto Lugo: High Def Archives”.

“Roberto Lugo (Puerto Rican-American, b. 1981) is a potter, social activist, spoken word poet, and educator. Lugo’s work as a social activist is represented in his artworks, where he draws together hip-hop, history, politics, and his cultural background into formal ceramics. He draws from his lived experience and deep knowledge of ceramic history to create works that elevate the stories of those historically absent from the decoration of extravagant examples of pottery. Lugo’s multicultural mashups often combine classic forms and patterns with elements of hip-hop. “As a potter,” Lugo explains, “I aim to carry on the ceramic tradition in a manner that honors the culture and community I come from.” Lugo was raised in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, an area marked by poverty, violence, and drug trafficking. At the age of 25, he enrolled in his first pottery class. Today, he leads the ceramic department at Temple University in Philadelphia, and his art resides in the collections of the most prestigious art institutions in the country, including the Cincinnati Art Museum. When he is not teaching or creating, Lugo returns to neighborhoods like Kensington with a potter’s wheel emblazoned with the words, “This machine kills hate.” Taking his art to the street, he uses clay and his wheel to teach others how to throw pots, break down cultural and social biases, and encourage the possibility that anyone can choose and achieve their dreams” (Cincinnati Art Museum).

During his residency, Lugo produced a significant amount of work and invited young creatives to join him to finish the pieces in his studio at the Cincinnati Art Museum. OHHS Art and Design students Molly Lorenz and Corey Willet took advantage of this amazing opportunity to work alongside the artist in this undertaking and spent the day learning and experiencing techniques in the studio alongside the artist.

To learn more about Lugo and the exhibition, visit:  https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/roberto-lugo-hi-def-archives/

OHHS National Art Honor Society (NAHS) member, Molly Lorenz, undertook the challenge to create a mural that captures the spirit of the OHHS Writing Center. Molly independently worked on the creation of the design and the execution of the painting of the mural throughout the year as a way of earning arts-related community service hours for NAHS. This week, Molly wrapped up her vision!

Molly has also worked on the creation of several murals at the high school throughout her time with NAHS, including the “Nikki Musgrove Memorial” mural, “Be the Change” mural, and “Transformations” mural.

Each year The Cincinnati Art Museum engages young artists to display their artwork at our 10×10 Teen Art Expo.

Edith Sax, from the OHHS National Art Honor Society, will be exhibiting her pieces as a part of the digital presentation of work at the Cincinnati Art Museum! The Cincinnati Art Museum education staff worked with a committee of teen art enthusiasts to curate an exhibition of artworks addressing the theme of “Nostalgia”. Artists were invited to interpret and use their creative voices to address this theme in the media of their choice. The only parameter was that works submitted had to be 2-Dimensional and only 10 inches by 10 inches.

Congratulations to Edith Sax on the inclusion of her work as a part of the exhibition this year:

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards has an impressive legacy dating back to 1923. Over the years, the Awards have grown to become the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the U.S., and the nation’s largest source of scholarships for creative young artists and writers. A noteworthy roster of past winners includes Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, John Updike, and many more.

Each year, the Alliance partners with more than 100 visual and literary arts organizations across the country to bring The Awards to local communities. Teens in grades 7 through 12 can apply in 28 categories of art and writing for the chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited or published. Submissions are juried by luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.

More than 100,000 students submitted more than 260,000 works of art and writing to the 2023 Scholastic Awards. Gold Key Regional winners compete on the National level for Medalist Awards. Molly and Marshall’s work was selected by some of the foremost leaders in the visual and literary arts for excellence in originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Less than 2,000 works received a National Medal, which places them within the top 1% of all submissions!

Molly Audretch’s (10) piece, “An Upward Glance”, was awarded a Silver Medal, and Marshall Shorten’s Portfolio (12), “Nervous Young Man”, earned a Silver Medal.

An awards ceremony for National Medalists will take place at Carnegie Hall in New York City in June. Congratulations to Scholastic Art Awards National Medalists!