CHHS Student Artists Feature Favorite Pieces in Katonah Museum of Art 2025 Young Artists Exhibition 

Last Friday, CHHS students Tara Hoy, El Wheeler, and Anna Samuels spent the afternoon with hammers, nails, and a ladder in a corner section of the Katonah Museum of Art hanging artwork created by students for the Young Artists 2025 Exhibition - their pieces already were up in other rooms in the museum.

The annual art exhibition showcases the work of high school seniors throughout Fairfield, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester counties. The show is student-curated, from selecting their piece through the design and installation process in collaboration with Museum professionals.

El, Tara, and Anna are all students in AP Art with Ms. Jodi Burger, and when presented with the opportunity, they expressed an interest. “I decided to display the project that was my biggest. I spent the most time on this piece this year,” said El. For Birds of a Feather x Blue, El used acrylic paint and mixed media on two separate canvases that she connected. Inspired by the two song titles by Billie Eilish, El’s investigation centered around transforming music into physical art and finding connections. Mixed media included the use of string, feathers, and recycled materials. “I used an artificial flower in the art room to create a textured component,” she said. “I took the petals off the flower, painted each layer, put them back together, and then sewed them onto the canvas. The red string connects the canvases and symbolizes being bound and restrained.”

Tara took a layered approach to her featured artwork as well. Inspired by the investigation into aging and the topic question: “How can I illustrate my thoughts and feelings about getting older," The Birthday Cake is constructed of three layers of canvas and features a self-portrait surrounded by 17 candles. “I used different shades of pink for the icing and piping,” said Tara. “I felt the colors represented a little girl, and the self-portrait reflects who I am now.”

For Anna, connecting with her inner child and carefree spirit was her way of exploring the best emotional connection to tell a story. Pocketful of Sunshine is a mixture of oil, crayons, Sharpie, and oil pastels. The crayons were used for the sky, sun, and butterfly above the self-portrait, drawn by Anna's inner child. “The hardest part was creating the childlike art,” she said. “It was a challenge to make mistakes so it didn’t look perfect.” The use of color for the self-portrait, which shows Anna wearing a coat filled with memories, came from thought and effort.  This is one of my favorite pieces because of the synthesis and intention.” 

The exhibition will run through Sunday, March 2nd, with a special celebration for the young artists taking place on Saturday, March 1st.

https://www.katonahmuseum.org/exhibitions/exhibition/young-artists-2025