All Oak Hills High School students electing to enroll in an Art and Design Department course will develop a Competitive Advantage, Appreciation of the Arts, Creative Thinking and Problem Solving Skills, Interdisciplinary Connections, Social and Global Awareness, and Career Preparation related to Visual Communication.
Congratulations to the 2 OHHS Art and Design students whose art was selected as a High Merit piece for the Spring 2021 Celebrating Art competition and publication! Having a High Merit award means the art was an exceptional piece. Out of thousands of entries received for the Spring 2021 contest, it stood out as being one of the top 5% submitted. Students who have art selected as High Merit work will receive special recognition in the book as it is displayed as a High Merit piece.
Congratulations to the following students:
From Ms. Schorsch’s Drawing and Printmaking class:
OHHS Art and Design teachers Bridget Dignan-Cummins and Jamie Schorsch were recently selected to exhibit their work at the 2021 Juried Exhibition for High School art teachers! “Art at the X” will be on display at the Xavier University Art Galleries from August 20th-September 17th, 2021. The artists’ reception will take place on August 27th from 5:00-7:30pm with awards announced at 6:30pm. Check out their works to be exhibited and artist statements below!
Bridget Dignan-Cummins
Macraweave
Owl
Aging Empress
My art is driven by my relationships; with nature, color, texture, family, and self. Any exchange we have as human beings with the relationship we have with ourselves; determining our perspective, approach, and choices. As an artist, I try to stay conscientious of my decisions in the process and the final product is driven by these correlations. My hope is that each person has a connection with my work unique to themselves and reflective of their relationship with the media, subject matter, and symbolism.
Jamie Schorsch
The birds depicted in my artworks are referenced for their migratory patterns and characteristics; specific birds are selected for their symbolic representation of life events and cycling through processes. Transitioning through life’s events is represented through progressive maturing of the bird or their relationship to other birds- and how those paths are traveled or connect. Numbers, numerology, and maps are often integrated to symbolize specific locations, dates, and relevant information related to pathways through tribulations. Narrative, symbolism, mythologies, migration, transition and patterns; the resulting repertoire of images created illustrates visual, social, and spiritual explorations in relation to modern societal standards and events that become engrained in your DNA and impact individual development of identity.
“Routine Education” is a commentary on the human rights issue of gun related violence continually impacting American schools. The vultures depicted in the work were selected for their symbolic representation in relation to life events, specifically as signifiers of death. The numbers, compiled through research, are juxtaposed with the vulture imagery to represent the number of documented shootings, deaths, and injuries that have occurred in American schools from the 18th century until March of 2018.
“Pandemic Nexus” is a commentary on the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on the development and maintaining of relationships while in fluctuating stages of isolation. Numerological elements embedded in the image relate to dates significant to the impact of the Pandemic and subsequent moments of connection formed during chaotic times as well as representing symbolic elements of individuals. The network of linear intersections alludes to trajectories in life’s path and resulting convergences.
“Migrant Refuge” addresses human rights issues of refugees seeking asylum on a global scale. Millions of individuals, and families attempt to migrate and establish new roots but face deportation and entry refusal on many fronts. The sparrows juxtaposed with countries that have most recently experienced mass exoduses serve as a directive to nurture our fellow humans as they move through life’s tribulations.
Collaged images of maps were embedded in the background on which images of the birds were rendered. Prismacolor pencil, alcohol marker, acrylic paint, and archival ink were utilized to render the image. Stenciling tools were employed for the addition of numerical elements with varying sizes of archival ink pens to create the illusion of space.
The 2nd annual challenge and exhibit of Miniprints for Peace and Justice by American Artists and Artists living in the USA, launched by SOS ART is now available for online viewing! It is again being held online due to the persistent COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the resulting social distancing situation. Due to the crisis, participation has also been limited this year. Presented in the online gallery are the works submitted both last year and this year by a total of 36 artists, 9 artists in 2020 and 30 artists in 2021. Works came from all over the USA, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and from British Columbia.
Among the exhibiting artists are 8 Drawing and Printmaking students, along with their teacher Jamie Schorsch, representing OHHS Art and Design. All Miniprints are “6x”6 and for sale with proceeds going to both the artists and SOS Art.
The Tolerance of Nature Drawing and Printmaking students worked to create drypoint etching compositions based on human impact and interaction with nature that demonstrate the concept of Tolerance, and what nature endures at the hand of man.
Alyssa Miller “Plastic Free”
Cora Mundstock “Land Invasion”
Ella Denier “Poaching”
Faith Maddox “Poaching”
Leah Stolla “Mills”
Olivia Burnett “Well, Dam!”
Samantha Gerde “Competition”
Sarah Young “Deforestation”
OHHS Art and Design Teacher: Jamie Schorsch “Impetus”
“Impetus” serves as commentary in response to the murder of African American man George Floyd on May 25th, 2020 in Minneapolis, MN. Following the murder, demonstrators, protestors, politicians, and mourners memorialized of 8 minutes, 46 seconds as a way to respond to the death of George Floyd and years of police brutality suffered by African Americans. Since that day, the time stamp has been challenged and changed from 7 minutes, 46 seconds to 9 minutes, 29 seconds, but that end result of the Officers action, and inaction, remains. 8 minutes, 46 seconds exists as the rallying point that inspired change. The American Eagle and Crow carry varied symbolism intended to be perceived either as: abuse of power by those in authority in direct reference to the kneeling on the neck of Georgy Floyd, America attempting to suppress transformation in transcending racist ideologies as symbolized by the Crow, or as Americans uniting in defense of their fellow man against the remnants of the Jim Crow laws.
SOS Art Cincinnati sponsors a yearly SOS ART Show and Event of creative expressions for peace and justice. This year, OHHS Art and Design students from: Art Foundations; Painting and Public Art; Drawing and Printmaking; Digital Art Foundations, and Adobe Photoshop classes will be participating by exhibiting 40 artworks in the event. Students will be exhibiting alongside many established artists, including OHHS Art and Design teacher Jamie Schorsch, all addressing issues related to peace and justice.
The primary objectives of SOS Art Cincinnati are: To promote the use of art as a vehicle for peace and justice and for a better world. To provide art-related educational programs towards peace and justice for all ages. To help facilitate the creation and development by local artists of literary and artistic works focused on peace and justice. To help create a community of local artists who use their artistic voice for peace and justice, who connect and collaborate. To use art, to inform, educate and create a dialogue on issues pertaining to peace and justice.
Painting and Public Art students began by creating a list of things you would like to show about themselves through self-portraits that are related to the concepts of Equity and Equality. These ranged from individual characteristics to stereotype-fighting features with regard to a particular identity group you felt they belonged to.
Chloe Doerger “Identity Constructs”
Jada Kidd “Perception of Youth”
Sophia Osborne “Liberty and Justice for All”
Olivia Burnett “Lady Like”
Icons of Influence For “Icons of Influence” students selected an individual, an icon of society, to research who has impacted and influenced society in a positive way. Using a stylus, with a variety of Scratchboard tools, students carefully observed details, textures, highlights, and shadows. A term was selected as a descriptor of the selected icon that was included in the work to summarize the individual’s life or characteristics.
Abby Marcum “Influential”
Erin Olakanmi “Courageous”
Flynn Koehler “Phenomenal”
Juliana Iglesias “Leadership”
Leah Stolla “Strong”
Olivia Burnett “Poet”
Sarah Young “Courageous”
Sophia Osborne “Power”
Sydney Berting “Presidential”
Communicating Social Narratives: “Girl Rising” Drawing and Printmaking students created a narrative image based upon one of the story vignettes from “Girl Rising” that they selected for inspiration. The compositions demonstrate the unification of notes and sketches taken during the viewing of “Girl Rising”, research related to the stories, and project planning completed previously. The artwork of Kara Walker served as inspiration for the silhouetting of the resulting images that convey the struggles that girls face around the globe in receiving and education.
Sydney Berting “Daydreams Dancing”
Olivia Burnett “Woman Triumphant”
Samantha Gerde “Ascension”
Leah Stolla “Liberation”
Sarah Young “Dreams of the Future”
Social Perspectives Prints (Drawing and Printmaking)
For this assignment, students researched some of today’s greatest socially conscious artists, such as Shepard Fairey, to discover what makes art powerful and life-changing. The mixed media print, collage-style work of art, communicates to the audience the students’ position on a social issue, a moral stance on a particular incident, or viewpoint on a topic that affects their life.
Brayden Hall “Censorship”
Erin Olakanmi “Mental Illness”
Flynn Koehler “Heterogeneity”
Leah Stolla “Gun Violence in Society”
Olivia Burnett “Gun Violence in Schools”
Art & Civil Rights
Students researched some of history’s most (in)famous events of civil unrest and justice and visually communicated the essence of those events through the relief printmaking format. The goal of the work was to communicate the importance of documenting the power of people who challenge the violation of Civil Rights through a media that can be mass produced. Kathe Kollwitz served as the inspiration for this project for her role in educating the people about the horrors of WWI and WWII through mass produced prints.
Tuse Alexandre “War”
Damien Ball “Tragedy of May 4th”
Dawson Wagel “Hard Times”
Tatiana Jones “Kansas”
Lilian Heil “March for Justice”
Lily Keith “I Have a Dream”
Ethan Ridder “I Can’t Breathe”
Sammy Swafford “Iwo Jima”
Emma Wickens “Stop Racism”
Self Portraits
Every artist tells a story through a portrait. Portraits have been an important part of art for countless centuries. No matter the time or culture in which a portrait was created, the shared human experience makes them relatable.
Grace McGowan “Annoyance”
Nick Turner “Unmasking”
Societal Commentary
One of the most powerful functions of an artist is to improve our society by changing the way people think. Since the beginning of time, the greatest artists have been the ones who use art to call our attention to something that is going on in the world. The following artworks communicate a viewpoint on a topic, or a moral stance on a particular incident, that communicates personal voice through artistic interpretations.
Anneliese Haskins “Labels”
Caden Cadle “Save the Bees”
Mia Schorsch “Lupine”
Comic Heros Face Off Against Global Issues
Students are called to design a PSA poster with a DC or Marvel Comic Hero or Villain Saving or Destroying the World from a Global Issue. Students choose a global issue after researching world news. After comparing and contrasting DC or Marvel Comic Heroes/Villains they choose the best character to represent their issue. Understanding the purpose of PSA in print, students create a poster that communicates awareness using the tools and techniques found in Photoshop to composite images with text.
Dylan Combs “Inequality”
Jack Hoeting “Mental Illness”
Oladayo Olakanmi “Mental Instability”
OHHS Art and Design Teacher: Jamie Schorsch “Divisus”
‘Divisus’ addresses a nation battling against itself resulting in the detrimental impact on its people. Eagles, a representation of our nation, battle against themselves focused on deconstructing each other and their ideals. The inclusion of the Owls contains a dual symbolism. The belief that the nocturnal bird accompanies the dead in their journey to their afterlife aligns with many Native American traditions and they also serves as a representation of a nation seeking wisdom while in a protective mode. Numerological elements embedded in the images relate to dates and numbers significant to the impact of the Pandemic, subsequent moments of connection formed during chaotic times, representation of those impacted by the virus, as well as representing symbolic elements of individuals.
OHHS Art and Design teachers Bridget Dignan-Cummins and Jamie Schorsch are exhibiting their work in the 50th Anniversary Hamilton Current Exhibition at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts! Their artwork selected for the juried exhibition will be projected larger than life on the Fitton Center’s exterior in an exciting new week-long outdoor digital presentation. Stop by any night May 28th – June 4th between 8:00pm – midnight to check out the projection!
OHHS Art and Design 