Schools

Dundalk Cluster Show Brings Together Student Artists of All Ages

The Second Annual Dundalk Cluster Exhibit draws 2,000, showing off works from students at Dundalk High and its feeder schools, Dundalk and Holabird Middle, and Dundalk, Norwood, Grange, Berkshire, Colgate and Logan Elementary.

“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” – Pablo Picasso

Kerihgan Fulton smiled as she described her colorful, self-portrait sculpture on display at the Second Annual Dundalk Cluster Exhibit Wednesday night inside a packed gymnasium at .

“It’s made out of paper mache and plaster, and then I painted it,” she said, clearly in her element among the hundreds of paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographs.

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Ever the perfectionist, however, the artist admitted she wasn’t quite satisfied with her work.

“I’m kind of upset I put my freckles on it," the fifth-grader said. “I didn’t want to do that.”

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More than 600 works from Dundalk High School and its feeder school students were on display, including Kerighan’s sculpture and fourth-grader Jessica Bandell’s expressive, painted peacock, which was selected for the exhibition’s promotional button. Dundalk High School principal P. Thomas Shouldice said 1,000 of the buttons had been passed out to visiting kids by 6:30 p.m.

Students and parents were treated to music performances as well by , , Dundalk Middle and the Dundalk High School Chorus and Dundalk High School Concert Band.

“It’s a fabulous crowd,” Shouldice said, smiling. “We tried to make it look like an art exhibit as much as possible—without the wine. “We have student waiters passing out pastries they made, and we added musical performances this year.”

Shouldice said the exhibition drew double the numbers of students and parents as last year’s inaugural event. He said as much as showing off the students’ work, the exhibition is about community building.

“We want people to see Dundalk High School as a place for their children,” said Shouldice, in his third at the school's helm. "The school has had a reputation that’s not good, that it’s dying, and that’s wrong. We want to bring the pride back to Dundalk.”

Dundalk Middle School art teacher Teresa Lenahan said middle school students learn about and work in a variety of mediums, including drawing, printmaking, clay and oil pastels. She said the enthusiasm for the show—from parents and kids —is remarkable, mentioning one family that had recently relocated to Delaware, but returned for the show.

“They were very proud to have her work on display,” Lenahan said.

Along with the art on display, there were several “make and take” arts and crafts activities for kids that remained busy throughout the two-hour event.

Also set up was a “Wishing Tree,” where students and parents could write messages to victims of the recent Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, and make donations to the Japanese Red Cross.

Dundalk head football coach Mike Downes also sat for two hours, posing for real-time portraits by Dundalk High students.

Dennis Zagurski, art chair at Dundalk High, said the seed for the now-annual exhibit was planted by Linda Popp, coordinator, Office of Art, Baltimore County Public Schools. At an exhibit three years ago at the Board of Education building in Towson, she suggested several pieces from local feeder schools be included.

“The second year we brought the exhibit to the high school and included work from more students from every school,” Zagurski said. “The exhibit just exploded. The energy is unbelievable.”

Zagurski said the younger students are inspired being paired with the high school students in the joint event, and the older students appreciate the natural joy in the younger students' work.

“It’s whimsical, pure, unpretentious and it’s magical,” Zagurski said of youngest students' work. It’s like Picasso said: ‘All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.’”


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