Student artists find satisfaction in creating work during pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic that has placed a stranglehold on all the normal interactions of teenagers has resulted in one stinging loss after another.
They've suffered through the off-and-on announcements for traditional in-person learning and an utter lack of extracurricular activities, athletics, field trips, stage plays and band.
But during a time of unprecedented hardship, Sandwich Secondary art teacher Sanja Srdanov found that the work produced by her students has been incredibly deep and inspiring.
“I've seen the students' art flourish more so this year than other years,” Srdanov said. “The reason for that is, I believe, it's simply become more of art therapy for them. I've had some incredible artwork result from this year. “
Even when students were able to attend class, Srdanov watched as they dutifully separated and kept quietly to themselves.
“There is this low-grade depression going on,” she said. “They would be so quiet and immersed in their work and I think art was so therapeutic for them.”
The results were impressive, with Sandwich students sweeping four of six categories at the 23rd annual Juried Student Art Show held virtually this year by the Leamington Arts Centre (LAC).
Ava-ryan Soderland won in mixed media, Parker Mosey won in sculpture, Gabriel Mailloux won in new media and Kennedy Fremlin won in painting.
Tecumseh Vista's Evan Schafer won the drawing category, and General Amherst's Elle Reid won in photography. Kingsville's Taylor Hallatt won the Future Artist Award. Sandwich students also earned four second-place and five third-place finishes.
Srdanov was thrilled when LAC announced it was hosting the annual April art show, only to have it shut down within 24 hours of opening due to public health restrictions.
“It went virtual, but it's not like being there,” Srdanov said.
“You're an artist, you have to exhibit your work.”
She convinced 33 students to enter, roughly half the number she'd get in pre-pandemic times. The show itself attracted 50 artists from 10 schools and a total of 127 entries, less than half of the 311 entries in 2019.
Fremlin entered five paintings and a sculpture as she poured heart and soul into her artwork to fill the void.
“I actually do a lot of sports and all of them were either put off or cancelled,” the 18-year-old said. “I had nothing to do and was bored out of my mind, so I experimented with a lot of different things. I did my first portrait ever last March when the pandemic started.”
She won the Leamington show with a portrait of one of her favourite musicians, Joji, a Japanese singer/songwriter.
Fremlin enjoys Joji's music videos and her winning portrait “Blue” was pulled from one.
She said art has taken on a greater importance this year, becoming a welcome relief from the rigours of academic courses in chemistry and physics.
“I always find it like a break,” she said. “It's something I really enjoy doing and it's a chance to relax a bit.”
With the unique scheduling demands placed on high schools this year, Reid couldn't even fit an art class into one of her Grade 10 quadmesters.
Srdanov was familiar with Reid's photography because her father, Richard Reid, is the principal at Sandwich. So, she convinced the younger Reid to submit her work to the student show and a separate amateur photography competition hosted by LAC.
Reid's black-and-white photo of an empty train track seemingly headed into the wilderness won the student show and another entry took second in the open amateur competition.
Like Fremlin, she's enjoyed her artistic distraction.
“It's just been a great thing for getting outside and having an excuse to go out and do something,” the Grade 10 student said.