‘Amplifying Student Voices’ with Cedric Michael Cox and the Taft ARC Program

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The Taft Museum of Art’s Artists Reaching Classrooms program (ARC) immerses high school art students in Cincinnati’s visual arts community, artistic practices, exhibitions, and marketing strategies while exposing them to careers in the arts. This year, Ms. Schorsch’s Drawing and Printmaking students are participating in this amazing program which consists of 1 museum visit and 4 classroom visits during the 1st semester, culminating in an exhibition of collaboratively created artworks at the Taft Art Museum in the winter. This year, students will be working alongside Cedric Michael Cox to experience the practices of a professional artist firsthand. Cedric will also lead students in the creation of a collaborative artwork, and an individual piece, for the Annex Gallery exhibition.

Cedric Michael Cox is best known for his paintings and drawings that merge surrealism and representational abstraction. As a student at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), Cox was awarded a fellowship to study at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 1999, he began to exhibit regionally and nationally. In addition to his work being in corporate collections, Cox has executed several large murals in various public and private schools in The Cincinnati Region. Cox’s past exhibitions include The Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati, The Weston Art Gallery, The Columbus Art Museum, the Dayton Art Institute, Five Myles Gallery in Brooklyn, the Museum of Science and Industry and Gallery Guichard in Chicago, and The Taft Museum of Art.

In 2019, Cox’s work was exhibited at the 21c Museum Hotel in Cincinnati; in 2020, he had a solo exhibition at James Ratliff Gallery in Sedona, Arizona. A 20-year retrospective exhibition was created for Caza Sikes Gallery, along with a commissioned body of work for the Kinley Hotel Cincinnati in 2020. In 2021, a series of 64 paintings were installed for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and in 2022 created work in the Metro Dayton Library west branch. Recently, he executed four new murals for the community of Avondale that stand as monuments to the healing spirit of joy and community pride as well as several murals featured in local schools.

The Drawing and Printmaking students spend their first visit getting to know Cedric and brainstorming ways that they could communicate their collective interpretations of ‘Amplifying Student Voices’. Following the idea brainstorming sessions, through which they established a theme focused on music and culture, they generated sketches to be shared with Cedric which he will use to synthesize their different perspectives into a collective, cohesive, design.

Over the next few weeks, the Drawing and Printmaking students will continue their collaboration with Cedric in preparation for the winter exhibition of their work at the Taft Museum of Art.

OHHS Art and Design Students Selected for the 2026 OAEA Emerging Artist Exhibition

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The OAEA (Ohio Art Education Association) High School Show showcases Ohio’s Emerging Artists’ artistic efforts. The Emerging Artist show is dedicated to showcasing the artistic efforts of students who have only had the chance to take one or two art classes in high school. The competitive professional forum is intended to prepare young artists for their creative future in college or in an art career. This showcase is designed to inspire new artists to excel in the areas of drawing, painting, sculpture, crafts, computer art, photography, and printmaking. Everyone involved should be proud of the students who inspire, creative thinking, problem-solving, and skillful techniques.  

This year’s exhibition showcases over 120 works, selected from more than 170 entries, of art by students in grades nine through eleven from across the state. The work will be on display at the Riverside Methodist Hospital 3535 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, OH 43214 with a exhibition closing reception on September 26th, 2026 at 1:00pm. Prizes will be awarded to Best in Show in: Photography, Drawing, Mixed Media, Sculpture, Computer Design, Printmaking, and Painting, at that time.

Congratulations to the following students from Ms. Schorsch’s Studio Art Foundations and Drawing and Printmaking classes on being selected to exhibit at this year’s Emerging Artist exhibition.

Desmond Damon
Belle Kirby
Liliana Pisegna
Anna Schuler

OHHS Art and Design Community Collaboration Brings New Mural to Life at The Wellington

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A year-long collaboration between the OHHS Art and Design Department and The Wellington at North Bend Crossing has culminated in the completion of a beautiful new mural that will welcome residents and visitors to the Vista building for years to come.

The project began during the summer of 2025 when The Wellington at North Bend Crossing sponsored an open mural design contest. Students in Ms. Kopf’s Painting and Public Art classes were invited to submit original mural concepts, providing them with the opportunity to create artwork for a meaningful community space. After reviewing several outstanding student submissions, residents of The Wellington selected the winning design created by junior Sona Sougoule. Her vibrant concept served as the inspiration for the final mural, showcasing both her artistic vision and creativity.

Once the design was selected, students began preparing the wall in April 2026. Over the course of several months, the Painting and Public Art classes worked together to transfer, paint, and complete the large-scale mural. Through careful planning, teamwork, and countless hours of painting, the students transformed an ordinary wall into a colorful work of public art that reflects the spirit of community and creativity.

The Wellington celebrated the project’s completion with the following message on its Facebook page:

“We are thrilled to share that the mural at our Vista building is now complete! What began as an incredible vision has become a beautiful work of art that will brighten our community for years to come. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the talented students in the Painting and Public Art Class at Oak Hills High School, led by Miss Kristy Kopf, for bringing this project to life.

A special congratulations once again to junior Sona Sougoule, whose winning design inspired this amazing mural. Your creativity, dedication, and talent have left a lasting impact on our residents, families, and team.

Projects like this remind us of the power of community partnerships and the joy that art can bring across generations. Thank you to everyone who made this collaboration possible—we couldn’t be more grateful!”

This project is a wonderful example of how public art can bring people together while providing students with authentic, real-world artistic experiences. The OHHS Art and Design Department is incredibly proud of Sona Sougoule and every student in the Painting and Public Art classes whose hard work, dedication, and collaboration made this mural possible. We are grateful to The Wellington at North Bend Crossing for creating this opportunity and for partnering with our students. We look forward to seeing the mural continue to brighten the lives of residents and visitors for many years to come.

Celebrating Art: Spring 2026 Top Ten and High Merit Students Announced

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Congratulations to the OHHS Art and Design students’ whose art was selected as a High Merit piece for the Spring 2026 Celebrating Art competition and publication! Receiving a Top Ten or High Merit award means the art was an exceptional piece. Out of thousands of entries received for the Spring 2026 contest, they stood out as being one of the top 5% submitted. Students who have art selected as Top Ten or High Merit work will receive special recognition in the book as it is displayed as a Top Ten or High Merit piece.

Congratulations to the following students:

From Schorsch’s Drawing and Printmaking, and Studio Art Foundations classes: 
Liam Edenfield
Jocelyn Lawrence
Nathan Muhlen
Sarah Sieve
Madeline Smith

Liam Edenfield
Jocelyn Lawrence
Nathan Muhlen
Sarah Sieve
Madeline Smith

From Dignan-Cummins’ Sculpture and AP Art 3D Design classes:
Charlie Morehead
J.T. Schmidt
Marina Sek

Charlie Morehead
JT Schmidt
Marina Sek

OHHS Art and Design Student Awarded 2nd Place in Just Earth – Cincinnati Exhibition

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Just Earth – Cincinnati, in collaboration with new and longtime partners, aims to educate and facilitate action among residents of the Cincinnati region to address the intersecting crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental injustice. The Just Earth Visual Art Competition, open to 2 categories of artists (18 and under, and 19 and over) called for submissions that expressed warnings for the future, images of celebration, images depicting regret or loss, or pieces of art depicting hope and exaltation over a healthy world and all of life’s cycles. Submissions were judged by a committee of local artist and art educators and prizes were awarded for 1st ($500); 2nd ($250); and 3rd ($100) place.

Tym’Shay Akins, a student in Ms. Schorsch’s Studio Art Foundations class, was recently awarded 2nd place for her submission, “Stop Chemical Waste”!

Stop Chemical Waste
Tym’Shay Akins

“My artwork responds to the growing environmental crisis caused by pollution and chemical waste in the ocean. I created this piece to raise awareness about the damage humans are causing to marine life through careless dumping, plastic waste, and toxic chemicals. The artwork is meant to confront viewers with the reality that the ocean is suffering because of human actions, while also encouraging people to take responsibility before it is too late.

One of the main symbols in my artwork is the large “X” placed over the fish. The “X” represents death, danger, and the destruction of sea life caused by pollution and toxins in the water. It symbolizes how marine animals are being harmed by chemicals, oil spills, plastic waste, and contaminated environments that humans create. I specifically included sea creatures like dolphins and turtles because they are animals people often love and connect with emotionally, yet they are still endangered by human behavior.

I used bright, bold colors to immediately grab the viewer’s attention. The vibrant colors are meant to draw people in at first, but once they look closer, they notice the darker message about environmental destruction. The contrast between the colorful design and the serious subject matter reflects how pollution is often ignored even though it is happening all around us. The words “Stop Chemical Waste” serve as a direct call to action, pushing viewers to think about their own habits and the ways they may contribute to pollution every day.

My artwork is also a warning for the future. If people continue to ignore environmental issues and refuse to change harmful behaviors, many ocean animals could disappear forever. I want viewers to understand that small actions, like recycling plastic bottles or reducing waste, actually matter. The piece challenges people not to simply feel sorry for the animals, but to recognize their own role in the problem and take action to help protect the environment. Through this artwork, I hope to inspire awareness, responsibility, and change before the damage becomes irreversible”.