Erica Pierre, TJ McNeill Jr.
When I visited the student art exhibit, the space felt warm and full of life. Soft music played in the background, creating a calm and welcoming mood. People walked slowly around the room, taking their time to look at each piece. I did the same. I explored the entire exhibit, studied each artwork, and really tried to understand what the student artists wanted to say. Every piece was handmade, creative, and full of emotion. It was amazing to see so much talent in one place!
Out of all the artwork, one piece stood out to me the most. It was called OBOW Our Ball Our World by Dawn Marie. This piece caught my attention right away because it was made from recycled materials, and it presented a strong message about the world we live in. The artist used found objects and shaped them into a sphere to represent the Earth. She wanted people to think about how much trash we create and how it affects our planet. The artwork made me pause and reflect. It reminded me that we all have a role in keeping the Earth clean and protecting our future. That message stayed with me long after I left the exhibit, which is why this piece was my favorite.
The first art piece that caught my attention was The American Gift by Nasherah Heron-Tucker.
This sculpture had a great deal of symbolic messages. The art piece is earthenware clay and low-fire glaze; this means that the sculpture was fired at a lower temperature, resulting in a less dense and durable ceramic. With all the coming together, they create vibrant, glossy pieces, being what you see in the picture. I really fell in love with this art piece because it shows the issues in modern-day America in one artifact.
The way the artist described the sculpture, she stated that “I chose the issue of systematic racism because it continues to shape the lives of African Americans in every generation. America often promises freedom, equality, and opportunity, but for Black people, that promise has not always been kept. What is offered as a “gift” of American life often comes bound in chains that represent slavery, segregation, discrimination, and ongoing racial injustice. These are not separate struggles, but all parts of the same system that have long restricted Black lives.“
The second art piece that caught my eye was the smoking painting. The painting was created with a charcoal and chalk type of design. Not only did the paint stick out to me, but the message behind the painting is what really caught my attention. The background displayed curving shapes, creating a sense of movement and a certain stillness on the main focus, which is the hands. Overall, the piece conveys a quiet tension, giving a gentle and a little bit of an unsettled feeling. The hands in the smoking motion give a sense of healing or personal struggle. The hands to me could represent pain, responsibility, or emotional weight. The swirling background could symbolize the pressures of one’s environment. Alternatively, the piece may simply explore the beauty and expressiveness of hands themselves, those universal instruments of touch, communication, and creation. Its understated color, precise linework, and evocative forms invite the viewer not only to observe but also to reflect. The artwork lingers in the mind long after viewing an image of hands caught in the delicate balance of healing and expression, framed by an environment as mysterious as the human emotions it suggests.