The Suffolk County Art Leaders Association (SCALA) held its annual High School All County and Scholarship Show at Babylon’s Old Town Hall on West Main Street.
Under the All County section, teachers from the 16 participating high schools submitted works from three students for the competition.
The Senior Scholarship leg saw one student from each of the schools compete to receive a monetary sum that would aid in the collegiate art program they plan to attend in the fall. Along with three pieces of artwork, they were required to submit an essay response to the following theme: “What Impact Would You Like Your Artwork to Have?”
"They're very grateful for their work being looked upon by others, being recognized, and it gives them a sense of accomplishment,” Shawn Cullinane, President of BACA’s Board of Directors, told The South Shore Press at Babylon Town Hall this weekend.
When asked what advice he would give those with one foot in the art world still needing that extra push to leap into expressing the creative depths of their soul for all to see, Cullinane responded with admirable candidness. He recommends burgeoning artists work with their teachers in their local schools, and doubles down on the confidence he has held in the exposure his BACA team and SCALA efforts have granted students over the past 13 years.
“Hopefully, students who are even thinking about it [submitting to the art show] will come to see the exhibit that their colleagues and friends are doing. This could encourage them to participate…"
Cullinane served as a judge in the blind judging-based competition once upon a time, but quipped that he’ll “never do it again” because “all of it is good.” He says award and scholarship winners can make headway with college entries, and even gain entry to the specific universities they desire to attend by touting a SCALA-issued accolade.
Meanwhile, BACA member Tricia Mezzcreates, on the other hand, finds the essay “the most beautiful part.” “Reading the essay brings it to life, and really gets in their head, and why they went in this direction” with their art, she said.
As an arts and culture advocacy organization, BACA is proud to consistently fulfill its mission: to encourage student artists not just through the annual art show, but in coordinating live theater, music, blue-grass festivals, and art classes taught at the Annex in North Babylon.
They have also collaborated with nearby Argyle Theatre on anniversary galas.
In response to “The Media’s Marionette,” courtesy of North Babylon’s Maired Matthews, Mezzcreates said: “...now that’s a statement” while giving the South Shore Press an exclusive walk-through tour of the full exhibit display ahead of Saturday’s art show.
Just beneath this entry, Matthews also plugs “An Escape from the Inescapable” — similarly emblematic of what a vivid imagination could supply when commenting on a society run amuck thanks to entrapment-grade dependency on social media. Both Matthews’ prescient pieces were created in Ms. Lambert’s Mixed Media class.
Half Hollow Hills West senior Mark Heeralall also had quite a lot to say about the state of our world with his 3-D Sculpture Class assignment under educator Jeanette Nourry. His “Attack of the Arachnids” is quite literal—a decaying Earth, equipped with a blood-hungry spider on the prowl.
Additional competitive categories included Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Photography, Digital Media, and Video/Animation.
“Our annual art show enables the visual artwork of our most talented students to be on exhibit and adjudicated for scholarships,” said SCALA president Dr. Diana Cook. “We are very proud of our students, the dedication they show to their craft, and of the support they receive from their teachers, families, and friends.”
The Suffolk County Art Leaders Association brings quality art educational experiences to art educators and art leaders across Suffolk County. For more information, visit SCALAArt.org.
All works will be on exhibit at Babylon’s Old Town Hall headquarters (47 W. Main Street) through March 5th.