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OHHS Art and Design Teacher Exhibiting in the New Women Exhibition @ CCAC

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As part of the signature programming of the Clifton Cultural Arts Center’s Nourse Gallery, CCAC is holding the third edition of “New Woman,” a juried group exhibition and accompanying fellowship for one selected artist. CCAC’s signature first-floor gallery, named for Elizabeth Nourse (one of the earliest women artists to achieve widespread recognition and make a living as a professional painter), aims to follow Nourse’s tradition by showcasing the artwork of women artists of Cincinnati and beyond, including the “New Woman” exhibition and fellowship. One winning artist will be selected from the group show for the biennial “New Woman” Fellowship at CCAC, receiving a solo exhibition and honorarium in the following year. The exhibition and fellowship together serve as a platform for recognizing and supporting the creative voices of women working across media, disciplines, and stages of their careers.

OHHS Art and Design teacher, Jamie Schorsch, was one of 55 artists selected from over 371 entries for this year’s exhibition. Schorsch’s piece, “The Heliocentric Sovereign” was selected for the exhibition alongside so many outstanding women from our region…including OHHS Art and Design alumnus Brittany Mathis and former teacher Jan Thomas!

Come out for the opening reception Friday, March 6th, from 6 – 8 pm. The exhibition will be on view through April 3rd.

The Heliocentric Sovereign: Artist Statement
“Metaphors for strength, reclamation of power, and identity populate my images focused on symbolizing resilience and the unwavering ability of the human spirit to overcome adversity, heal, and rediscover its authentic essence. The visual journeys illustrate the unraveling of the intricate tapestry of my identity, interwoven and imbued with mythological references, elements of mysticism, and spirituality, bestowing profound meaning upon events that have challenged my sense of self. In birthing the creations, they become a transformative medium, liberating me from the constraints of past experiences, societal expectations, and transcending pain that has confined me and impacted my personal journey.

The Heliocentric Sovereign merges the radiant, life-giving energy of the Sun with the confident creativity of the Queen of Wands. Cloaked in a garment patterned after solar flares, the fauna it cultivates, and crowned with a golden corona of enlightenment, the Sovereign radiates warmth and illumination. Surrounding forms turn toward this light, symbolizing the gravitational pull of hope, vitality, and renewal.

Drawing from Buddhist iconography, the figure’s raised hand forms the abhaya, the “no fear” mudra, representing courage, compassion, and spiritual awakening. This gesture conveys serenity amidst adversity and the calm assurance of inner strength. Feline imagery reinforces themes of independence and intuitive grace. Associated with solar energy, cats embody protection, self-possession, and balance between fierce vitality and quiet contemplation, mirroring the Queen of Wands’ creative fire and feminine confidence.

Marigolds, bright as miniature suns, symbolize remembrance, warmth, and transformation. Their cyclical nature honors both life and loss, reminding us that renewal is born through resilience. The inclusion of a raven deepens this meditation; its dark wings are a counterpoint to the light, representing mystery, wisdom, and the transformative power of introspection. Together, these symbols weave a dialogue between illumination and shadow, life and transcendence. The title’s scientific reference, “Heliocentric,” evokes the need for a stable inner center where one’s light endures despite life’s orbiting challenges”.

OHHS Art and Design Teacher Exhibiting in “Rooms of Grief”

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OHHS Art and Design teacher, Ms. Schorsch, will be one of the artists exhibiting in the Kennedy Heights Art Center’s Rooms of Grief, a powerful and deeply human exhibition running January 17th through March 14th, 2026. Co-curated by Ena Nearon of Ten Talents Network and Mallory Feltz (KHAC), the exhibition brings together 59 artists whose work explores the many forms grief can take and the ways art can help us process, hold, and heal from loss.

Rooms of Grief considers grief not as a single emotion, but as a series of emotional spaces we move through when loss reshapes our world. These “rooms” function as metaphors: places of silence, memory, anger, longing, tenderness, confusion, and, at times, renewal. Together, the artworks reveal grief as layered and personal; experienced through the loss of loved ones, identity, relationships, health, community, and imagined futures. While sorrow is present, so too are transformation and resilience, showing how creativity can give form to what is often unspeakable.

The exhibition highlights the role of art as a healing practice, one that allows grief to be witnessed rather than hidden, shared rather than isolated. For many artists, making the work becomes an act of care, remembrance, and survival; for viewers, it offers recognition, empathy, and permission to feel.

Schorsch will be exhibiting two mixed media pieces in the exhibition. “The Charioteer’s Resurgence” explores grief as both burden and transformation. “The Tempered High Priestess” explores grief as a force that dismantles and reshapes identity. Through mysticism, symbolism, and self-portraiture, Schorsch confronts identity fractured by trauma, allowing grief to guide healing and reveal strength forged through transformation.

Exhibiting artists include:
Patricia Acker, Ebony Alli, Lisa Andrews, Cora Arney-Georgilis, Lauri Ann Aultman, Brooke Cahill, Nina Caporale, Susan Carlson, Ben Casuto, Samuel Casuto, Robert Coates, Heather Conley, Isabella Crowe, Billie Cunningham, June Pfaff Daley, Leslie Lehr Daly, Dan Dickerscheid, Deborah Dixon, Mary Anne Donovan, Judith Effa Ford, Melvin Grier, Nikita Gross, Zephyr Grove, Ell Halim, Kendall Hall, Donna Hardy, Robin Hartmann, Art Hasinski, Jessica Grady Heard, April Huerta, Lindsey Hurst, Ruth Jose, Michael Kearns, Deborah Kovacs-Sturdevant, Cynthia Kukla, Robyn Lince, Lindsay McCarty, Micah Mickles, Carol Mohamed, Amy Mueller, Mia Natas, Zoë Peterson, Kat Rakel-Ferguson, Su Ready, Fatemeh Rezaei, Janet Rocklin, August Roth, Anastasia Schneider, Gerrie Schon, Jamie Schorsch, Zachary Severt, Charlemae Sexton, Kimberly Wilfong Sigman, Emily Sites, Matt Steffen, Shawn P. Sweeney, Megan Taylor, Brianna Wallace.

The exhibition opens with a public reception on Saturday, January 17th from 6–8pm, inviting the community to gather for an evening of art, reflection, and connection. This event is free and open to the public. Additional programming extends the exhibition’s themes beyond the gallery. A Panel Discussion on navigating grief will take place on Saturday, February 7th, 2026 from 1–3pm at the Kennedy Heights Arts Center Lindner Annex (6620 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45213). This conversation is free and open to the public. A facilitated Art Therapy workshop is also being planned; participation will be free, with registration required due to limited space. Details will be announced soon on KHAC’s website.

50 Years of Inspiration: An Exhibition Honoring Artist and Educator Jan Thomas and Five Decades of Creative Legacy

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50 Years of Inspiration is a powerful exhibition celebrating the extraordinary career and lasting influence of Jan Thomas, artist and former Oak Hills High School (OHHS) art teacher, whose dedication to arts education has shaped generations of creative professionals. Spanning five decades of teaching, mentorship, and artistic practice, the exhibition highlights the profound impact one educator can have on students and communities alike.

The exhibition brings together 128 artworks, including 15 works by Jan Thomas and 113 pieces created by former students, offering a multi-generational portrait of creative growth. Among the artists represented are 26 former OHHS students, eight of whom are now art educators themselves, continuing Thomas’s legacy in classrooms across the region. The title 50 Years of Inspiration reflects a remarkable full-circle moment: two exhibiting artists were students during Thomas’s very first year of teaching at Regina High School in Norwood, 50 years ago. Their inclusion underscores the enduring relationships and creative influence that have defined Thomas’s career.

Artists in the exhibition represent a wide spectrum of creative paths, including college professors, photographers, graphic designers, tattoo artists, community arts leaders, independent artists, and a nationally recognized drag performer. The exhibition also features a clay mosaic artist whose work directly inspired the mosaic tile walls at Oak Hills High School, as well as a Northside arts naturalist currently building a permaculture cobb house, illustrating the expansive ways art connects to place, purpose, and community.

The exhibition opens with a public reception on Sunday, January 11th, from 3:00–5:00 p.m. Come out to celebrate an educator whose commitment to creative thinking has left a lasting imprint on students, schools, and the broader arts community, and mingle with OHHS alumni, current, and former art teachers. The show will remain on view at Ruth’s Parkside Cafe (located at 1550 Blue Rock St, Cincinnati, OH 45223) through the end of February.

Fall 2025, and Final, “Celebrating Art” OHHS Art and Design Students to Be Published

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For the past 15 years, “Celebrating Art” has showcased the work of students across America in their quarter contests. Unfortunately, this is the last publication and contest that will take place. “Celebrating Art” has been devoted to the promotion and appreciation of student art. The intent of their student art contest is to motivate student artists. The top entries are published in an anthology that will record the creative works of today’s student artists.

Students recently submitted work and a record number of 100 OHHS Art and Design students were invited to be published in the final Fall 2025 “Celebrating Art”! Only the best art is selected to be included in the full-color hardbound art book, “Celebrating Art”. Additionally, final judging for the “Top Ten Artist” and “High Merit Artist” awards will be completed and announced soon. The following students should feel honored. This is not a contest where every entry is invited to be published and is a highly selective competition. Thousands of entries were not invited to be published. Being published represents a lot of talent, hard work, and dedication from students.

Congratulations to the following students:

From Ambs’ Ceramics 1, Ceramics 2, Fashion Studio 1, and Studio Art Foundations classes:
McKenzie Balford
Ryleigh Brader
Ryan Cooper
Tony Cooper
Caleb Curtis
Sophia Dawson
Maria Dektas
Ultan Delaney
Addison Dennis
Gentry Elsener
Eva Etris-Schuler
Ava Flickinger
Lila Gormley
Josie Hollander
Taylor Jackson
Carson Johnson
Ava Leahy
Chloe Linnig
Gabe Lowe
Olivia Lucas
Grace Marcus
Kaya Middleton
Lilah Morgan
Sonia Motino
Kiah Plants
Moriah Pree
Hannah Roellig
Khloe Roland
Brayson Sandman
Elise Sargent
Megan Schmidt
Aaliyah Schunk

From Dignan-Cummins’ Ceramics 1, Honors Enamels, Mosaic, and Glass, Honors Fiber Arts, Sculpture, and AP Art 3D Design classes:
Josie Audretch
Katie Auer
Mylla Davis
Sophia Flaig
Eleanor Good
Evelyn Good
Lily Gunnarson
Maddie Haley
Sophia Latisa
Jocelyn Lawrence
Brynn Schreck
Nelly Wimp
Kyla Witt
Tamara Alkhaldi
Skyla Blevins
Eva Duke-Ibanez
Ruby Dunham
Niamh Fitzpatrick
Nathan Niehause
Kily Sinex
Rachel Wunderlich
Sam Getz
Ichika Nakagawa
Kia Helmers
Maggie Heydorn
Lexi Holzbacher
Charlie Morehead
Morgan Sargent
JT Schmidt
Ahleya Velasco
Brailee Schulz
Lin Whyle

From Kopf’s Painting and Public Art class:
Josie Auciello
Lily Gunnarson
Lilly McGuire

From Schorsch’s Drawing and Printmaking, Art Foundations, and Studio Art AP 2D Design and Drawing classes:
Tym’Shay Akins
Maria Arrivillaga Munoz
Anastasia Brantley
Cynthia Brown
Hope Casey
Desmond Damon
Julia Chapman
Gaby Coronado Orozco
Evelyn Dann
Liam Edenfield
Valeria Espinoza Barrios
Miles Frisch
Aaliyah Gracey
Aubree Harden
Ava Kaiser
Belle Kirby
Connor Korte
Colton Krummen
Sydney Lehman
Alejandra Lui
Lennox Ludeman
Baylee Moorman
Nathan Muhlen
Liliana Pisegna
Anna Schuler
Sarah Sieve
Madeline Smith
Michael Smith
Lillian Thomas
Christian Vanlandingham
Eli Wilson
Lydia Wilson
Kyndall Woodie


As an added bonus, the OHHS Art and Design Department was highlighted as one of the top ranking schools overall for the numbers of students accepted to be published through the national program!

“Where Our Worlds Meet”: Ending the Taft ARC Journey of Creative Unity

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Ms. Schorsch’s Drawing and Printmaking students are wrapping up their experience with the Taft Museum of Art’s Artists Reaching Classrooms (ARC) program, which immerses high school art students in Cincinnati’s visual arts community, connecting them with artistic practices, exhibitions, marketing strategies, and careers in the arts.

As part of ARC, students collaborated with their Artist-in-Residence, Adoria L. Maxberry, a Cincinnati-based visual and performance artist, educator, designer, and founder of Most OutGROWing LLC. Guided by a belief in the power of creativity for personal and collective growth, Adoria creates immersive experiences that blend education, reflection, and community. Her work spans murals, fiber arts, illustration, and mixed media, often embedding hidden phrases and personal stories. Throughout the students ARC experience, she guided students in creating a large-scale collaborative artwork for the upcoming exhibition at the Taft Museum of Art.

“Where Our Worlds Meet” is a whimsical celebration of the everyday worlds students move through: school activities, neighborhoods, digital spaces, shared hangouts, impactful life experiences, and quiet personal moments that bring joy. By incorporating favorite objects, symbols, and visual references from these familiar environments, the piece reflects how individual identities are shaped by daily experiences while remaining deeply connected to others. Each element carries personal meaning, but gains new significance when placed alongside the contributions of peers.

At the heart of this work is the question: How can we come together to creatively respond to the world around us? Through collaboration, students explored what it means to live together creatively: listening, adapting, and finding harmony within difference. The process emphasized connection over perfection, inviting playful experimentation and collective problem-solving as a way to build creative unity.

Aligned with ARC’s focus on collaboration and connection, this artwork represents both self and community. It honors individuality while highlighting shared experiences, showing that creativity thrives when voices overlap, ideas intertwine, and imagination becomes a common language. Together, these contributions form a joyful, unified response to the environments we all inhabit every day.

“Where Our Worlds Meet” will be on exhibition at the Taft Museum of Art from February 13th-16th, 2026. There will be an exhibition celebration on February 15th, from 1:00-2:30pm, with remarks at 1:30pm. Please join us in celebrating the creative vision of the Drawing and Printmaking students and Adoria Maxberry!