On October 3rd, ALL OHHS students participated in a school-wide Challenge Day.  Students started off the day learning about different types of conservation and a viewing of the movie “Waste Land”- which details the art project that contemporary artist Vik Muniz orchestrated in Brazil’s largest dump (at the time).  Students explored ways to use recycled materials to create a representation of the spirit of OHHS and used Vik Muniz’s work as their springboard for inspiration.  Students voted on their favorites at Homecoming and the winner will be announced soon!  Winning students will take a field trip and guided tour of Rumpke.  Most of the projects are presented in the slide show below.  Enjoy!

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For more information and to enter visit:  http://freedomcenter.org/picturefreedom

This summer, 147 youth Apprentices and 38 professional artists are transforming Cincinnati with 17 amazing public art and community-based projects.

In pursuit of ArtWorks’ goal to paint a mural in every Cincinnati community, ArtWorks partnered with the Villages at Roll Hill to paint the first mural in this neighborhood. The Villages at Roll Hill strives to provide affordable, green housing for its residents. In 2013 the Villages at Roll Hill won a national community development award for its achievements.  The design created by OHHS Art teacher Jamie Schorsch, “Growing Community Connections”, illustrates a visual manifestation of the Villages at Roll Hill. The sprawling landscape that signifies the “Green” nature of the communities redevelopment, channels imagery of the varied Cincinnati skylines observable from the Villages at Roll Hill and leads the viewer through a composition that focuses on a variety of aspects of life present in the community. The design emphasis is placed on the transitions of life from infancy to childhood, adulthood, and ultimately senior status; depicted literally through the progressive ages included in the design and also in the transitional values of the sky representing dawn, day, and twilight. Elements related to services provided to the residents of the Villages at Roll Hill are embedded in the imagery, both through the ribbon that creates a unifying thread in the community, activities that figures are engaged in, and the inclusion of the apprentice artist generated icons that represent the multitude of services available to residents. Outreach and philanthropy, dominant in the community, is depicted through the inclusion of community members’ handprints interwoven into the foliage of the design.  Schorsch had the opportunity to not only design and lead the project, but work alongside one of her OHHS Art students Alyssa Weber.

ArtWorks, 3CDC and the OTR Chamber are partnering to produce a new site-specific mural on the north-facing façade of the building at 1215 Vine.  The goal of the project was to showcase contemporary art, engage local community members, and provide meaningful employment and development for ArtWorks youth Apprentices. This mural reflects both the community’s significant history and vibrant future.  Cincinnati artist and designer Jason Snell, whose own design firm, We Have Become Vikings, is located just steps from the project site, was commissioned to create a fun and informative mural in the burgeoning neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine (OTR). On view indefinitely, this dynamic work will be visible to business owners, shoppers, and countless visitors to OTR.  Contributing to the mural was OHHS Art student Taylor Helms.  Last year, Taylor had the opportunity to work with ArtWorks on the stagecrew that creates backdrops for the Children’s Theater of Cincinnati’s performances.

For a comprehensive list of the mural sites, and artists, created by ArtWorks in Cincinnati, visit:  www.artworkscincinnati.org

GENERATION is a dialogue reflecting the conceptual and creative process inherent to our work as artists.  As artists we are compelled to create, while acknowledging those who have influenced our work creation, and those to whom we will pass on our wisdom and our passion.

The works displayed represent a collaboration between 2 teachers and their students.  The artwork of Jamie Schorsch and Paul Loehle represent two divergent aesthetics that explore social networking, visual culture, and narrative in contemporary society, and their role in constructing identity.   Student work appearing in the show was created in response to the work of Schorsch and Loehle, as an acknowledgment and exploration of these two aesthetics as they apply to their own journeys.

Ultimately, the dual meaning of GENERATION is revealed to mean:

1. The process of creating, or generating something original, and how we as artists borrow from those who have come before to realize our own visions.
2. The inevitable contrast between Generation X and Generation Y represented in the vision of 2 seasoned artists in the midst of their personal and artistic journey and a group of artists who have just begun to travel their own paths.

Congratulations to OHHS senior Joey Chessey on being awarded Funke Fired Arts Summer Scholarship.  Joey is the sole recipient of this award and will get to take summer classes at Funke Fired Arts free of charge; allowing him to continue to refine his craft as a local Ceramicist.