This month we are proud to feature Angie, a Senior at Coleville High School, for our Student Spotlight! Angie was the recipient of a MAC Arts Scholarship this summer to attend the CSSSA Summer program held at CalArts in Los Angeles. She is already a very talented artist and we are excited to see where her skills take her. Here's what she had to say:
Why do you love the arts?
I grew up as a timid kid, and even though I had the ability to verbally communicate I had that difficulty of doing so. When the time came to talk and express myself it would find myself lost on what to do. So I turned to art, art was my vessel and without it I don't know how I would allow people to get to know me. So without art I would probably not even know myself. And also in a way art is like my best friend, it's always been there with me through thick and thin. Not to mention I watched myself grow up with it. Whenever I would look back in old sketchbooks, I would be reminded of a younger version of myself, and what my interests and character consisted of. That's why I love art.
What is a favorite piece of art you have created or a favorite time in performing arts?
Ah, a difficult question, like most artists I tend to have an emotional connection to the work I have created. But the pieces that I have put the most of myself into are the ones that I love the most. If i had to say what my favorite piece is, it would be 'Directiones' which portrays three figures that represent past present and future. I tend to use symbolism in my work but in this piece in particular I used color that would contribute to the emotion that the figures, and during the time that I made this painting there was a sense of growth which helped me create the painting due to things that I have been moving past from. So this painting has significant meaning for me for that reason.
What would you say to a friend to get them interested in the arts?
There is no wrong way of doing art, and if you have a tendency of being a perfectionist it may be more difficult but you have to trust the process. When you finish a piece that may or may not cause some frustration, you will feel a sense of accomplishment. And I already tell my friends this lol.
Why are the arts so important right now, in the world we live in?
Art has always been important, though some people may think otherwise art plays a big part and contributes into culture. Now in the contemporary era the majority of artists put out work that are meant to be statements concerning issues that are mainly political. A picture can say a thousand words and when art has an intention to state something it can say much more.
To donate to the MAC Scholarship Fund, visit the following webpage: https://monoarts.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/monoarts/donation.jsp?campaign=13&
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