Seneca High School hosted an annual art show on May 23, with parents, relatives and friends filling the media center to see students showcase their work.
Among the pieces, attendees could find three award-winning works as NJ Teen Arts winners. Several students in the show have also been honored at the Burlington County Center for the Arts.
In addition, several students who were selected throughout the year as Seneca’s “Artists of the Month” also presented their work at the show. Among those students were sophomore Kenny Stout, junior Haley Anderson, sophomore Ben Yaroch, senior Vinvent Zigari, sophomore Julia Greeley and junior Marlo Giovannini-Sula.
As art filled the walls, relaxing coffeehouse music from the school’s jazz band filled the air. On the saxophone was junior Ethan Eno, with junior drummer Zack Rickabaugh, freshman John Borkowski on the piano, along with sophomore bassist Stephen Benasutti.
Parents and relatives roamed the media center, looking for their loved one’s art and exploring the rest of the other creations.
“I was nervous they were gonna say something bad, without them knowing I was standing right behind them,” said Seneca senior Emma Boeninghaus, one of the students who displayed award-winning art.
This year, she received an Award of Excellence from both the Burlington Center for the Arts Show and the Burlington County Teen Arts Festival, and was one of 20 from the state to be nominated in the NJ State Teen Arts Festival at Ocean County College, with her piece “Paper Prison.”
Although “Paper Prison” received the most acclaim, she doesn’t consider the piece to be her favorite.
Her favorite piece of artwork from her collection is “Sunny S-Eyed Up” because, according to her, it’s the one piece that stands out among the rest.
“It’s also probably the most creative and vibrant piece that I have ever done,” she said.
She feels that it’s “pretty amazing” to be recognized by not just attendees, but also by art teachers and college art professors.
“Being able to present my work in front of thousands to see is just mind-boggling to me,” she said.
Students showcased their art on many different platforms, such as a skateboard. Attendees explored different designs painted or drawn on the bottom of a skateboard by Seneca students in AP Art, Art Major I, Art Major II and Creative Arts Media II as they took part in the Curbside Skateboard Design competition.
Show-goers also experienced a showcase of portraits for a good cause. Art Major I and Art Major II classes teamed up with a nonprofit organization, The Memory Project, to create portraits of children in the U.S.
The Memory Project invites art teachers and their students to create portraits for youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges, such as neglect, abuse, loss of parents, violence and extreme poverty. The art students’ portraits were delivered to the children in May, giving them the opportunity to use their artistic skills to give back to those less fortunate.
