Miller South has artwork in new Metro Transit Transfer Station

Miller South students currently have work on display in the new South Broadway Metro Transit Station. The Akron Society of Artists organizes the station’s exhibitions and 46 Miller South students are sharing their work with the bus patrons courtesy of this local group of artists. Molly Becker, Metro’s communications liaison, held a reception for the students and their families on November 16. Congratulations to these featured artists: Nick Antenucci, McKenna Carder, Thomas Dannemiller, Javon Dunkley, Aliyah Eggleston, Stasha Gacpar, Ben Gfell, Kwamè Gomez, Joseph Gorsuch, Henry Gunther, Kelsey Hall, Claire Hallett, Vanessa Henderson, James Hilton, Chrysoula Hughes, John Iacano, Brina Jeffries, Shelia Jenkins, Waldi Johnson, Simon LaVoie, Marty Lee, Leo Lombardi, Bronson Luksza, Izzy Maguire, Lucie McCoy, Kiara Merritt, Lucien Milford, Richard Milford, Chloe Mitchell, Meile Moore, Breanna Nixon, Kade Peets, Chloe Piepho, Tess Powers, Charles Roland, Edgar Rosales, Madison Starks, Morgan Starks, Abby Sutula, Tyler Uher, Pippa Underwood, Kristofer Yarborough, Megan Zanin and Ty Zimmer.

Blockbuster mural becomes a memory

The mural that was painted several summers ago on the back of the West Market Street Blockbuster building, depicting Morgan Csejtey's Keep Akron Beautiful slogan "Akron is your canvas, paint it with trees," is fast becoming a memory. Steve Csejtey, Firestone High School art teacher and Miller South parent, the Shaughnessy family and Mrs. Yingling were instrumental in making the mural idea come to fruition. Students created tree designs and along with their teachers, friends and parents, spent multiple weekends climbing on scaffolding to paint the wall.

The Shaughnessy's secured the gallons and gallons of paint, tons of brushes, scaffolding and were the driving force to see this mural come to life. Now the building has a new occupant and the old mural is becoming a memory. To quote Mr. Csejtey, the students are learning the hard lesson of how art sometimes has "a life, and in turn a lifespan." Students are realizing how important the role of patron is and how "a piece of art, particularly a collaborative piece, no longer is in control of the person(s) who made it."

Mrs. Altwies intervened this week on behalf of the school, but the decision was made by those directly involved that the mural could not be redone as it was. Driving by the other night, I stopped and took this photo of the half painted wall.

We learned a lot in the process and I still smile as I drive past. I would laugh at the three birds painted into the upper right hand corner that appeared to sit on a telephone wire hanging in front of the wall, and how they continued to sit there long after the wire was removed. Thanks, Steve, for putting them there!

Enjoy your memories and continue to smile each time you pass the back of that building remembering what a collaboration can accomplish.

Here's a link to the original West Side Leader story: http://www.akron.com/20070809/wsl55.asp

NJAHS Elects Officers

The Miller South School National Junior Art Honor Society recently elected officers to serve during the 2009-2010 school year. Congratulations to Co-Presidents Elizabeth Garner and Joanne Lutman, Vice President Sydnie Rosenfeld, Secretary Breanna Nixon, Treasurer Samantha Sebree, Historian Tess Powers and Photographer Melanie Darrah. We're looking forward to having a productive and fun year with this group of officers leading the way. The group of seventh and eighth grade visual art students meets each Wednesday during the school year.

Soup for the City

Seventh grade art students created designs for ceramic bowls that were auctioned off during the Good Samaritan Hunger Center's Soup for the City fundraiser held October 2 at the Tangier. Attendees loved the students' bowls, spoke highly of the quality of the work, and created quite a few bidding wars during the event. Proceeds from the auction help fund the Hunger Center's programs that service the people of Akron. Students who donated bowls to the auction are Josh Ake, Kevin Billups, Mackenli Bolyard-Pizana, Ceara Casterline, Carly Chelovitz, Kacey Cousineau, Petra Djuric, Aliyah Eggleston, Nisreen Faris, Claire Hallett, Vanessa Henderson, John Iacano, Tony Maggio, Breanna Nixon, Gabe Skora, Nate Testa, Annie Tsai, Yvette Turner, Genevieve Underwood, Pippa Underwood and Maddie Yaceczko. It's an honor to have my students donate their time and talent to community service projects.

NJAHS

Congratulations to the 2009-2010 Miller South National Junior Art Honor Society. Students selected for inclusion in this honor society include seventh graders Mackenli Bolyard-Pizana, Melanie Darrah, John Iacano, Erica Kraus, Breanna Nixon, Chloe Piepho, Tess Powers, Genevieve Underwood, Pippa Underwood and Mina Williams; and eighth graders Maggie Dempster, Jihad Dennis*, Elizabeth Garner, Genna Hailey, Kelsey Hall, Shelia Jenkins, Bianca Kontra, Joanne Lutman, Chloe Mitchell, Meile Moore, Tiffany Roberts, Sydnie Rosenfeld, Samantha Sebree, Matt C. Williams, Matt Wilson, Ashton Wood and Megan Zanin. The group's first order of business will be the election of officers. The group is affiliated with the National Art Education Association.