Rockwood teens share meaning behind art at John F. Ross
Students pulled on personal passions and experiences to inspire the art displayed in their high school hallways.
GUELPH – Artwork lined the hallways of John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute on Jan. 16.
Families, students and school staff admired the artwork while listening to live piano music from student Brianna Schweitzer and snacking on hors d’oeuvres prepared and served by students.
Originals and prints of many of the art pieces were available for purchase.
Slough Rail Accident 1900
Rockwood resident Liam Alexander said he helped with curating and decorating for the show because he wanted to make a contribution during his last year of high school art class.
“I really love trains,” Alexander told the Advertiser, which is clear from his art displayed in the gallery.
The Grade 12 student’s favourite piece is Slough Rail Accident 1900, which depicts a rail accident that occurred on the Great Western Railway outside of Slough station in England.
Alexander painted acrylic on masonite, combining post imperialism and abstract styles to “take a moment from history and try to preserve it.”
Stitches Coming Undone
Jewels Jackson’s Stitches Coming Undone is a reflection about mental health. She said it symbolizes how people often wear a “mask” to pretend they’re someone they are not. But over time, cracks and frays form as the mask begins to fall apart.
The Rockwood resident spent days punching holes throughout the piece before stitching it, and then snipped and frayed the thread with scissors.
Jackson said she picked cool colours to represent someone losing themselves by trying to hide what they don’t think others want to see. And the shapes get smaller in the middle to create the effect of falling down a hole, she added.
The mask slipping away is a good thing – but it’s a hard, scary thing, as “you have to completely relearn who you are as a person,” Jackson said.
It’s an experience she’s familiar with, so she wanted to help others in similar situations by sharing her story through art.
Jackson also took photos during the show, which she offered to send to families to help them capture the moment together.
Below the Surface
Grade 11 Rockwood resident McKenna Breidon used acrylic paints on Mayfair paper to create Below the Surface.
Inspired by her passion for synchronized swimming, Breidon captured a moment not many people get to see – the careful formation swimmers create with their bodies before launching a team member out of the water.
Breidon swims for the Waterloo Region Artistic Swim Club and said the swimmers spend an hour practicing the formation to ensure they have it right, as each person’s position and movement is integral to sending the “flier” on top into the air.
