Artwork by junior Claire Busch and Emily Acker (‘11) will be displayed at the 2013 Maryland Art Educators Association Annual Showcase of Outstanding Student Artwork.
Each year MCPS art coordinator Linda Adams collects artwork to be displayed at county buildings, events and showcases. Adams focuses on showcasing a variety of pieces and accommodating different types of works. Last spring, Whitman art teachers submitted six student projects for display.
Busch, a commercial art student, said she was ecstatic to discover her artwork will be displayed at the conference. She was unaware that art teacher Nancy Mornini had submitted her project.
Her piece is a typography project resembling a weeping angel from the T.V. series Doctor Who. Busch cut out individual lines of magazine text and pasted them in the shape of an angel, using both black and white text to show the shadows of the angel’s intricate gown and wings. The angel is mounted on a blue background with white text— the typed screenplay of the episode in which the angels appear.
Busch put a great amount of effort into the project, working from December until the day of the Festival of the Arts in May. The day of the festival, she worked on her project all day at school and stayed at school until the festival in order to finish in time for it to be displayed.
“It’s probably one of my favorite pieces of art that I’ve ever created,” Busch said.
Mornini said she chose Busch’s piece because it’s incredibly beautiful and unlike any other piece she has ever seen. She also took into account the enormous amount of work she knew Busch had put into it.
“She’s a very motivated art student,” Mornini said of Busch. “She always has creative ideas, and she’s willing to work very hard on her projects, which makes her stand out.”
Busch said she would like to study art in college and pursue a career involving art in the future. She’s especially interested in architecture and interior design due to her love of engineering.
Acker, a former studio art student and current junior at Tulane University, created a charcoal still life drawing.
“She just nailed it,” art teacher Jean Diamond said. “The fabric looked realistic; the objects were realistic; the composition was superior and speaks to a universal appeal.”
Acker says she feels honored to have her work recognized. Even though she doesn’t see herself pursuing art in the future, she said it remains an important stress reliever in her life.
The showcase will be displayed Oct. 18 at Blake High School. Registration is required, and the event is intended for art teachers.
