Ceramics students win "Best in Show" for the Day of the Dead display.
by Martha Alvarez
photo by Catherine Salazar
The CHAC (Chicano Humanities & Arts Council) Gallery is dedicated to the promotion of the Chicano and Latino Art culture, and during a very special event every year students from many schools display their work.
Thanks to TJ’s ceramics teacher, Catherine Salazar, Spartan artists were allowed to display their artwork during the Day of the Dead art show at the CHAC. The students who participated in this display helped win the recognition of “Best in Show for the Day of the Dead." This is a very prestigious award that is only given to artists with new and creative ideas. “This year’s gallery was amazing; these students really deserved to be featured,” said Cristal O’Bryan, the arts and display coordinator at CHAC.
The CHAC gallery is very exclusive about the art featured there, and only open their doors to these student-based galleries a couple times per year. The TJ students who had artwork displayed this year were Echoe Dayton, Dani Ruzycki, Melanie Walker, Tra’e Griffin, Katie Boyer, Karla Garcia, Jeanna Tomlin, Ian Melnicoe, Emily Ferren, Jessica Smith, Stephanie Lain, Christy Tafoya, Shelby Randall, Lydia Aman, Shane Brown, Sean Reifman, Kira Rodriguez, Maria Sanchez, Kaily Blackburn, Hall Hupperts, Justin VanNostrand, Chelane Obland, Ben Makovsky, and Jeanna Tomlin. Sam Stavish, Ruyi Du, and Patrick Taylor were also featured in this gallery, each with two or more pieces of art being showcased. The remarkable art won these students the “Best in Show” title.
“Students are the future of art, and we need them to preserve the art of all cultures,” said O’Bryan. The student and open shows help keep people interested in art, and encourage the future artist from TJ. “I really want to keep seeing these students in future exhibits, and I hope next year they come with more amazing artwork,” added O’Bryan.
