After hearing about a way to showcase her art at the Nest, junior Lauren Schmelzer jumped at the opportunity. In previous years, Schmelzer has had to sell her own art in person.

“(My mom) told me I could have my art sitting (at the Nest), because I don’t really like to be sitting at a booth for seven hours a day waiting for people to buy my art,” Schmelzer said.

According to art teacher Martha Ortman, the ability to display art at the Nest is a way for students to showcase and profit off of their projects.

“These art openings (the Nest) is having on the Fridays once a month or every two months bring in community members. They can sell their stuff — realizing they can actually make money from their artwork,” Ortman said.

Schmelzer said she handmakes her art with a mixture of photography, paint, and woodwork.

“I do kind of rustic art, so it’s using reclaimed wood from my uncle’s farm, and you use Mod Podge and I put my pictures that I take of nature onto the wood,” Schmelzer said.

Ortman said she acknowledges Schmelzer as a very conscientious student. She remembers Schmelzer being very creative, and putting a lot of thought into her artwork.

“She worked hard, she was self-motivated and she wanted to do a good job,” Ortman said.

Schmelzer said she has been taking photos and creating art for a some time, but continues to take art classes at Park to continue her learning.

“I already knew how to take pictures and I had done photography before. It was just to get my skills to be better,” Schmelzer said. “I think in seventh grade I started doing the Uptown Art Fair, and I have been making art before that.”

Ortman said she hopes students understand their artwork can viewed by the public, and they continue to do art outside of art classes at school.

“I think it’s absolutely a good thing, because a lot of the art students don’t realize that they can do art and get it recognized,” Ortman said.

Schmelzer’s art along with other student artwork can be viewed from 2:30-7 p.m. from Monday to Friday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays at the Nest.