Gallery • 15 Photos

Grace Nguyen

“I was surprised. I didn’t think I was going to get in," senior Lindsey Hammond said. "There were a lot of people who entered. It’s really hard, and it’s the whole DFW area and all the AP artists, so I didn’t think I would be good enough in comparison to other people.”

After the halls have emptied and students have begun to unwind from the school day, many of the art students file into the place that allows them to express themselves freely. With choices of media ranging from stone carving to ball point pen and through the use of personal experiences, eight students created pieces to be shown in the Dallas Museum of Art, or DMA, as part of their Young Masters exhibition.

The eight students, comprised of seniors Taite-Lynn Borozny, Katie Felton, Tad Greenwald, Lindsey Hammond, Carly Johnson, Anna Redman, Elijah Ruhala, and Emma Wigginton, make up about 15 percent of the select 54 students from across the Metroplex.

“Having my work displayed in a professional setting is an amazing opportunity because it allows my work to be viewed and commented on by so many more people,” Johnson said. “It’s unbelievable to me that my work will be showcased in the same museum that countless famous artists have their work displayed. I’m very honored to have my work selected for the Young Masters Exhibition, and I’m very proud of everyone who received this incredible recognition.”

This is the second straight year for the school to have eight students selected. Borozny and Greenwald had their work exhibited last year as well. It’s the seventh consecutive year for LHS students to be featured in the exhibition.

The exhibition, which will take place Feb. 24 through April 15, is overseen by one of the DMA curators and the chief reader for AP studio art. One hundred and twenty-six works were selected for the preliminary round from over 560 submissions. The selection ended with 54 studio artworks chosen to be showcased in the DMA Concourse Gallery. The 54 studio art works are comprised of 40 drawing/2-D works and 14 3-D works. There are also four art history essays and six music theory compositions.

“The show is really meant to highlight literally the work that is the highest of highest points because the students are already going to high performing schools, and they’re already creating great work, but then it’s settled down and down until it has 54 pieces,” McCasland said.

Johnson, whose 2-D “Johnson’s Home Theater” piece is being featured in the exhibition, attributes her success to the high school art program.

“From the time I was very young, I was always interested in art, constantly drawing and painting,” Johnson said. “However, it wasn’t until I reached high school that I truly had access to the tools and guidance I needed in order to decide to pursue a career in the visual arts field. Without experiencing critiques from my classmates and professional guidance from my incredible teacher, my work would not be where it is today.”

Many of the students selected for Young Masters plan on furthering their art career after high school.

“Art is something I take great pride in,” Ruhala said. “It’s always been a form of expression that felt so natural to me. I can discuss things through my work that I struggle to communicate through words alone, which is why I value it so highly.”