Barberton students connect with community through art

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA McCUNE | BGNN
Barberton High senior Bailey Puskarich has artwork on display in the B-Art Show, including a self-portrait, portrait of her mom, and paintings and drawings of famous music icons who have inspired her. The B-Art Show is open through April 11.

  

By CHRISTINA McCUNE | BGNN managing editor

BARBERTON  Paintings, drawings, ceramics, jewelry, sculptures and more greet art lovers at each turn as they take their time making their way through White Rabbit Galleries downtown the next couple of weeks.

Each piece and group of artwork has a wow factor with eye-catching details. What’s even more impressive is each item was carefully and lovingly created by a Barberton student – ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade – and these masterpieces have stories to tell.

The sixth annual B-Art Show had its opening reception March 20 and the student exhibition will continue to be open to the public through April 11 at White Rabbit Galleries, 571 W Tuscarawas Ave., Barberton. Galleries are open 4-7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays.

Barberton High senior Bailey Puskarich attended the opening night and friends came to support her. Puskarich has on display drawings and paintings using acrylic paint, oil pastel and a mix of oil pastel and acrylic paint, as well as sculptures.

The pieces reflect her work throughout her high school career. She pointed to one and said when she completed it she realized: “Oh my goodness – I can do this.”

Since then her pieces have been in shows, and one piece depicting jellyfish is in a local competition. A copy of it is in the B-Art Show.
A portrait of her Mom – which was a surprise to her Mom – won an award at a previous show.

Her collection of artwork on display in the B-Art Show doesn’t have a theme but most of the portraits are people who have inspired her including music icons.

“I just did people I look up to and people I admire – that’s why my Mom is also here,” Puskarich said.

David Bowie and Ozzy Osbourne are among the faces that are easily recognizable.

“I hope that everybody likes it,” she said. “And I hope I can connect with people and find people who also like the same artists that I do.”

Puskarich plans to pursue a career as a tattoo artist after she graduates from high school.

“I like the feeling of being happy with my finished project,” she said about why she enjoys art in general. “I struggle a lot with sketching and stuff like that but I like growing from it … it’s kind of therapeutic. I like taking my time and sketching my stuff out and also asking for help, too.”

Puskarich said she has enjoyed connecting with other artists in her class and getting feedback from them.

“I like how calming it is – even though sometimes it doesn’t make me calm,” she said with a laugh. “Sometimes it stresses me out.”
Elementary school and high school students’ artwork is on the main level and middle school artwork is on the second floor.
“We’re blessed to have an awesome school,” said BMS art teacher Lydia Boyer who was at the opening night with fellow art teacher Tom Suppan.

“They’re really excited by it,” she said about the students’ reaction to have their work at a public art gallery. “It’s open until the 11th so they can always come in during spring break if they can’t make it to opening night. They get to see their piece and show their parents and take pictures with it. I don’t think they quite get the impact of being in an art gallery and how it’s putting their art a step above the rest, but once I show them a few of the things I see their faces light up and it’s just wonderful.”

Being in an art show and seeing work of older students is inspiring.

Suppan said the art teachers work together and it’s interesting to see the students progress through the years and from show to show. Some students continue with art throughout their school careers while some may return to art later in high school.
Art is beneficial for all ages. Boyer said that at the middle school level art connects students to one another and connects subjects and classes together, and what students learn through art they can take with them through life.

“Art is important because not only does it help them express themselves creatively but it also helps people connect,” Boyer said. “It helps them share interests, it helps them expand boundaries, and start to notice people around them and learn a little bit about themselves and a little bit about other people. It also helps them build some developmental and fine motor skills that help them notice details more, which makes it a lot easier for all kinds of stuff – it travels through all classes, it travels through all jobs, it’s kind of like the connecting medium between classes.”

On the main floor of the gallery, visitors may hear what sounds like children talking and laughing on the other side of the wall. That’s an immersive soundscape, which is part of the Barberton Intermediate School portion of the exhibit. As people view BIS students’ portraits and artwork they can hear what the students sound like thanks to the happy sounds incorporated from six layers of actual recordings of children at the school.

Last year, BIS students completed a mural in the hallway of their school and created projects that shared the city’s history and their family’s history in the city. As BIS continues the “We Are All Magics” initiative thanks to support from the Ohio Arts Council, National Endowment of the Arts, the city of Barberton, Barberton Community Foundation and Barberton Post Acute, the focus this year is “Listen to what we look like.”

MaryElizabeth Norman, BIS art teacher, said she hopes people gain from the experience, “What it’s like to be at our schools because this is who we are.”

They leaned into the country’s 250th anniversary and the city of Barberton celebrating its 135th, she said. The mural told the history of the town and now BIS students are telling the story of their community today.

“And so now this year this is who we are here now today – just bringing you up to present,” she said. “And we focused on portraiture. … This is what we look like. This is what we sound like.”

She said artist-in-residence Dara Harper, who returned to work with students again on projects this year thanks to the grant, engineered the soundscape.

Norman emphasized the influence and contribution the entire community has had on the “We Are All Magics” initiative through presence and financial support.

“What really elevated our exhibit to something special this year was the presence of all the community members in our class,” Norman said.

Norman has 28 classes and each one has had or will have the opportunity to get to know a member of the community up close and personal. Pictures of some of the community leaders who have spoken to students are on a wall as part of the BIS exhibit.

“These are people from all walks of life in our community who have achieved their goals and given back to the community, making Barberton the special place that it is,” Norman said.

Students have met the mayor, a judge, business owners and community leaders thanks to the initiative and they’ve learned about their jobs, what they were like as kids, and the interviews have inspired a sense of future and hope.

Norman said she also wanted to emphasize their gratitude to the Barberton Community Foundation and Barberton Post Acute.
“Both organizations have built relationships with our kids, as well as funded our exhibitions,” Norman said. “Their financial help elevated our exhibit to an immersive experience, enabling us to listen to a day in the life of Barberton Intermediate, including some of the stories of our special classroom guests.”

Norman encourages people to attend the exhibition at White Rabbit Galleries and also attend the Tri-Arts festival, which she calls the “crown jewels of the district arts programs, where we are able to showcase our student talent and the grit behind it.”

The Tri-Arts Festival at Barberton High School will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 25. Norman said the BIS special shout out for Tri-Arts is the “Listen to What We Look Like” aspect. In addition to their wall of fame from classroom interviews and their immersive soundscape, the BIS choir will be performing “What It Sounds Like” at 10:45 a.m. in the BHS theater written, produced and directed by music teacher Suzi Chiera.