The Oak Hills High School Art and Design Department recently partnered with the Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) to bring the Artist & Writer in Residence Program to OHHS, providing students with an opportunity to explore creativity, experimentation, and artistic expression through hands-on learning. Designed to challenge K–12 students throughout Greater Cincinnati to develop important 21st-century skills, the program encourages creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration through visual communication and creative exploration. Professional artists and writers work directly with students in the classroom, introducing new perspectives, techniques, and approaches to the creative process.
At OHHS, this special enrichment opportunity was open to all students during X-Bell and led by Art Academy of Cincinnati instructor and multidisciplinary artist Erika NJ Allen. Allen is a Guatemalan-born, Cincinnati-based artist whose work explores the connections between personal experience, cultural identity, consumption, labor, migration, and resilience. Working primarily in ceramics and photography, she transforms familiar materials and everyday objects into thought-provoking works of art. Much of her ceramic practice focuses on recreating fruits and vegetables in clay, using their forms, textures, and natural processes of growth and decay to explore ideas about the body, nourishment, healing, and transformation.
Her work also examines the cultural and political histories of the banana industry and its connections to labor, immigration, and the experiences of marginalized communities.
Through her own artistic practice, Allen demonstrates how ordinary materials and personal experiences can become starting points for meaningful creative exploration.
The four-day residency at OHHS centered on the idea of “Clay Break,” encouraging students to step away from their everyday routines and embrace the freedom of making, experimenting, and discovering through clay. Rather than focusing on creating a perfect finished product, students were encouraged to approach the material with curiosity, take creative risks, explore possibilities, and learn through play.
Clay provided a hands-on way for students to investigate form, texture, structure, and the unexpected results that can emerge through experimentation. The process emphasized that creativity isn’t always about having a predetermined plan or knowing exactly what the final outcome will look like. Sometimes the most meaningful discoveries happen when students are willing to explore, make mistakes, change direction, and see where their ideas lead.The four-day Clay Break reminded students that creativity thrives through curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to play. By making space for exploration and new ways of thinking, OHHS students had the opportunity to discover the possibilities of clay while developing creative skills that extend far beyond the art room.
The Artist & Writer in Residence Program reflects the value of bringing professional artists into school communities and connecting students with creative practices beyond the traditional classroom experience. Through its partnership with OHHS, the Art Academy of Cincinnati provides participating educators and students with professional guidance, curricular support, and the necessary art materials to make these experiences possible.
Thank you to the Art Academy of Cincinnati and Erika NJ Allen for bringing this engaging and inspiring creative experience to Oak Hills!
