After months of preparation in art classes, a number of high-achieving Park students were selected to have their artwork showcased in the annual Normandale Community College gallery and submitted for awards for the exhibit. The show’s reception and award ceremony was held at Normandale Mar. 3. with Park students sharing their pieces with the Metro West community of high school artists and celebrating their achievement with friends and family.
Showcased in the gallery, junior Molly Haen said she was proud her piece was recognized and displayed at the annual gallery. She said she was excited to see her art set up and showcased professionally for the public to see.
“It makes me excited and proud that my art got picked to be showcased,” Haen said. “It’s very special to me that other people actually want to see what I made, and to see it presented in such a formal way is special and different from school.”
Art teacher Molly Timmerman said she has watched her students continue to make final touches on their pieces and work hard to prepare for the showcase. She said a theme of the art at the show was the expression of students’ perspectives on current events.
“I’ve seen (students) think about work and continually revise and refine their pieces to get them to where they are today, and it’s really exciting to see the fruits of their labor,” Timmerman said. “I’ve seen a number of pieces today that make statements about (students’) beliefs, and I think that’s a common thing that I see in the classroom too.”
Junior art student Sam Ramirez said local current events with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inspired her monarch-butterfly pottery piece that was showcased at the event. She said she was proud to have her art displayed, given the message it sends to her community in difficult times.
“A big inspiration for my piece was what’s going on currently in the world, especially in Minnesota with ICE and how Hispanic people and all people of color are being targeted,” Ramirez said. “I’m really proud of the message that my art sends, because it sends a message about important things going on in history right now.”
According to Haen, it was exciting to see students’ artwork from other schools, and to see how it differs from Park’s. She said it’s interesting to see how different schools run unique art classes.
“I love seeing other people’s artwork at these shows,” Haen said. “The other schools have really different classes than we do, and so many pieces are made differently or in different classes than we have here.”
Timmerman said her students have supported one another throughout the process of creating their pieces this year. She said she saw students come to the event to support their showcased friends, even if they didn’t have art displayed.
“The (students) do such a nice job of lifting each other up and helping each other out throughout the process,” Timmerman said. “I’m seeing that here tonight, where there’s a number of kids who don’t have pieces, but came to support their friends.”
Ramirez said it’s important to continue making art in current times, especially with the rise of Artificial Intelligence. She said art is a way to creatively express your culture and parts of your identity.
“Right now, with everything advancing with AI, artists’ jobs are being taken,” Ramirez said. “I think it’s important to have our identities showcase who we are culturally through artwork.”
