Dearborn Public Schools student art launches April Arts Month at Padzieski Gallery

 

By SUE SUCHYTA

Times-Herald Newspapers

DEARBORN – An impressive display of eye-catching art made by Dearborn Public Schools students launched April Arts Month April 1 at the Padzieski Gallery, with additional work displayed on the mezzanine level.

Dearborn Public Schools Art Resource Teacher Sunshine Durant said they are exhibiting more than 600 pieces of student art work.

“We have built the best art show in Michigan,” she said. “Each piece of art is framed by the Dearborn Education Foundation, which they donate about $4,000 to make sure every kid has a framed piece of art that goes home with them so they can hang directly on the wall.”

Durant said Dick Blick Art store donated $25 gift certificates for each Jurors Choice winners, which includes two-dimensional winners: Lina Jarouche, second grade, Miller Elementary for “Chinese Vase;” Celine Soudah, fourth grade, Becker Elementary, for “Renaissance Sun;” Morgan Vipond, seventh grade, O. L. Smith, for “Winter Trees;” and an untitled black ink cityscape by Edsel Ford High School sophomore Musa Alqirsh.

The three-dimensional winners include:  Ahmed “Moody” Albanna, first grade, Dearborn Virtual Academy, “Oz Dragon;” Jana Aladri, fifth grade, Miller Elementary, “Sunshine House;” Alia Althalmi, eighth grade, Dearborn Virtual Academy, “Organic Carving;” and Elham Sofyan, senior, Fordson High School, for a bracelet.

She said this year the show added entries from the different school art clubs, which recognized Howard School’s second graders for their “Recycled Chandelier,” and the Dearborn Virtual Academy Art Club for its  “Tree of Knowledge” made from recycled material.

Durant said Supt. Glenn Maleyko presents an annual award, which was awarded this year to Amira Bazzi, a senior at Edsel Ford High School, for her acrylic landscape painting “Mykonos.”

She said the T-shirt design contest winner, chosen out of 75 entries, was Merna Abdullah of the Michael Berry Career Center.

“I am very blessed to be in such a district that supports the arts,” Durant said. “Dearborn Public Schools puts on the best art show, and our students, teachers and our administrators all put in lots of effort in order to make this happen.”

She said they will start preparing and planning for next year’s art show the day after the exhibit opening.

Durant said some unique art club projects are on display this year, including a hanging display that lights up, and a “Tree of Knowledge” sculpture utilizing thousands of pieces of recycled art.

“We gave each of the art clubs a theme, ‘recycled art,’ so we can be green and incorporate it into the project itself,” she said. “So, if you see the tree in there, it has thousands of little, tiny pieces of other gadgets that they’ve added in there to make this beautiful tree and recycle art.”

Durant expressed her gratitude for the support of the Dearborn Community Fund, the Padzieski Gallery and the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center for their support, as well as Parks and Recreation Director Sean Fletcher, Dearborn Community Fund Executive Director Emma Jean Woodyard, and Dearborn Community Fund Manager Sasha Corder for helping to put the show together.

Of the seniors whose work was showcased, outstanding senior artist Maria Alashwal from the Michael Berry Career Center said she enjoys putting her ideas down on paper.

She said she enjoys working in digital media because of the freedom and convenience it affords her.

Alashwal plans to incorporate art into her future career plans, and will be attending the College for Creative Studies in Detroit next fall.

Outstanding Senior Artist Amira Bazzi of the Michael Berry Career Center said she was drawn to creative pursuits even as a young child.

“I was always drawn to art, and I was in an art club in preschool,” she said.

Bazzi hopes to pursue a career in graphic design at Wayne State University.

She said she enjoys working in color pencil the most.

“It’s so exciting to be here right now,” Bazzi said. “I always heard about being a legacy artist, and I never thought that was something that I could be, so, it’s so exciting to be here right now.”

Outstanding Senior Artist Neveen Haidar of Dearborn High School said she works in many mediums, including graphite, acrylic, oil pastel and henna art.

“All of my work is an ode to who I am as a person,” she said. “And so, everything kind of reflects on me.”

Haidar said next year she plans to attend Wayne State University to major in engineering.

Outstanding Senior Artist Katie Hetherington of Fordson High School said she will be attending Grand Valley State University next year to study art.

“I think it will be really good for me because I want to go into studio arts,” she said.

Hetherington said her artist journey began by coloring on the walls of her home.

“I’ve been doing watercolors, everything, my mom’s an artist, and I got it all from her,” she said. 

Hetherington said she likes to paint in acrylics.

“I find it the prettiest to work with,” she said. “It’s more of a vanity thing: it’s easier to work with, it doesn’t get messy, not like watercolor, not like oil.”

Outstanding Senior Artist Sunen Aljawad of Fordson High School said she sees her art as a creative outlet that also helps her to relieve stress, so she can focus her brain power on academics.

She said she’s always had some type of medium in her hand, whether it was lipstick on her mom’s wall or a pencil on paper.

“It kind of runs in the family,” Aljawad said. “I’ve always been encouraged to do art, so it’s just something that I have always done.”

She said she enjoys creating ceramics and jewelry the most.

“I like working with my hands, I like molding things, and I like seeing what I can do with my hands,” Aljawad said.

She said she wasn’t used to being in the spotlight.

“This is a little bit new and a little bit scary for me, but I’m enjoying it,” she said.