CHS artists embrace showcase opportunities

This story originally appeared in the Citizen’s 28th annual Salute to the Fine Arts, an 8-page special section included with the June 6 edition.

In a 2018 interview with Boston Voyager magazine, Randolph native Jamaal Eversley reflected on his unique path to becoming a fine artist and the “bold” decisions that were required of him along the way.

CHS student Srimayi Chaturvedula with artist Jamaal Eversley at ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ exhibit held last month in Stoughton

Teased in school for looking “nerdy,” he initially set out on a path that others had envisioned for him, enrolling in the accounting program at Babson College and taking an internship at a renowned Boston firm that ultimately led to a lucrative job offer. Standing at a crossroads just months before he was set to graduate and feeling thoroughly unfulfilled, Eversley, after much soul-searching, decided to turn down the job and embrace his identity as an artist and self-proclaimed “creative nerd.”

“I haven’t looked back because I have kept true to myself and to what makes me happy,” he told the magazine. “It was a bold move but I believe it’s better this way.”

It’s this kind of steadfast commitment to personal authenticity that has fueled Everley’s passion for the arts in his adult years. It’s also the driving force behind his latest educational outreach project and accompanying exhibit, “The Bold and the Beautiful,” which partners with area high schools to celebrate the uniqueness and inner beauty of aspiring artists.

This year’s exhibition was open to students at Canton High School and Stoughton High School and was funded by grants from the two towns’ cultural councils. Students were invited to submit a piece of art that underscored the project’s motto (“The things that make me boldly different make me beautiful”) or that answered one or more of the following questions: What are your distinctive and recognizable personality traits? What makes you proud to be you? What makes you feel blessed?

Patricia Palmer, Canton’s K-12 visual arts coordinator, said that Canton High’s involvement came at the suggestion of art teacher Michele Mendez, who brought Eversley in to speak to the art classes and promote the exhibit.

“He encouraged them to really think about what made them unique and to be able to be brave enough to share it because this exhibit was all about kids sharing their work themselves,” said Palmer.

Around 15 CHS students ended up submitting artwork for “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and two students were individually recognized: Isabella Olsen-Mann, who won first place, and Srimayi Chaturvedula, who received second place.

The exhibition was held in early May at the RTI Empowerment Center in Stoughton and included an open mic night for teens who wanted to share their spoken word poetry.

Palmer said Eversley was impressed with the Canton students’ submissions and complimented them on “how eloquently they wrote about what inspired their work.”

“I really appreciated that because we’ve worked for a long time on getting kids to think about how writing can really enhance the viewer’s experience of your work,” she said. “And so [hearing] that was like an outside validation for them, which I think was fabulous.”

CHS artwork on display at the Artist’s Studio & Gallery in Foxboro

Palmer said “The Bold and the Beautiful” was one of many recent opportunities for CHS artists to show their work in what has been a busy and exciting year for the CPS Visual Arts Department. Another such opportunity arose in early March with the return of “Artists in Bloom,” a K-12 exhibit co-sponsored by the Canton Garden Club. This year’s edition featured approximately 150 pieces of art with 30 of them interpreted as floral arrangements by members of the Garden Club. Joan Marie Driscoll, owner of Floral Scents, spearheaded the project, which is modeled after the annual Art in Bloom exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

“They’ve been fabulous to work with,” Palmer said of Driscoll and her fellow Garden Club members. “They’re really passionate about giving back to the kids and they use the proceeds from Artists in Bloom to help fund a scholarship for the seniors, which is really nice.”

Another recent showcase opportunity was the annual CHS student art exhibit at the Artist’s Studio & Gallery at Patriot Place in Foxboro. Held May 3-5, the exhibit featured work by 45 upper-level art students, including a mix of 2-D and 3-D pieces. An artists’ reception was also held and drew a good size crowd of students and family members.

This year’s AP art students, meanwhile, were given a unique opportunity to showcase their portfolios before sending them off to the College Board for evaluation. At the suggestion of Mendez, who got the idea from a fellow AP art teacher, the visual arts staff organized a morning reception for the students and invited their parents as well as school administrators to come and view their work.

Palmer said it was the first time they had ever done something like that and it “went over so well.”

“It was a great opportunity for the students to be able to talk about their work and what inspired them,” she said. “And I think it was great for them to get that immediate feedback and it gave them a nice boost as they were getting ready to send off their portfolios after working so hard on them all year.”

The final event of this busy exhibition season — and by far the largest — was the annual District Art Show, held two weeks ago in the CHS gym. Every CPS student who took an art class this year had at least one piece of art on display, and there were a variety of media represented, from photography and painting to graphic design and video production. The show was open nightly and drew hundreds of visitors, with many of them taking advantage of the open studio activities offered in the CHS art rooms.

Ten custom rain barrels — designed by CHS engineering students and hand-painted by CHS art students — were also made available for purchase through a silent auction held during the show. The project, now in its third year and part of a collaboration with the Neponset River Watershed Association, provides students with a lesson on water conservation while also helping to raise funds to purchase water bottle refill stations at the school.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Jun 14 2019. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.