SRHS Eagle Exhibit their Art at the SCC Student Center
SRHS Eagle Exhibit their Art at the SCC Student Center
Niamh Savani, Art Instructor at Salt River High School
11/26/2007
For the past two years, Salt River High School students exhibited artwork at the American Indian Program Office at Scottsdale Community College (SCC) during the month of November.
This year, Roger McKinney, an art instructor at SCC asked SRHS students to paint a large mural (6’ x 3’) to display in the new exhibition space in the Student Center building during November. The purpose of this exhibition was to honor Native American Heritage Month and also create connections between SRHS and SCC. Ms. Savani’s 3rd hour art class started working on the mural at the start of the school year, and finished it mid October. The students were involved in the process from the beginning – selecting a theme, and drawing sketches for the mural, and followed through until it was completely finished with all the final details. The lead artists involved in the project were Joseph Conger, Ayaila De La Cruz, Jenna Howard and Josefina Vasquez. Supporting artists were Cedric Carlisle, Victoria Carlos, Rozlyn Kaye, and Jessica Ruiz.
The mural highlights aspects of Pima, or “Akimel Au-Authm” (River People); and Maricopa, or “Xalychidom Piipaash” (People who live toward the water) culture, both past and present, and was titled “Hohokam Dreams: Past and Present”. It was painted with acrylic paint, and includes many images that portray different aspects of the culture, including both material (housing, agriculture, craft production and artistry) and spiritual (ritual and ceremony).
In addition to the mural, artwork from the Arts Experience class (run in conjunction with Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts) and ceramic work from Ms. Savani’s Ceramics class was also on display. Students in the Arts Experience class created traditional Parfleche bags made from canvas, acrylic paint, felt material, and leather hide. They also created more contemporary watercolor paintings based on illustrated manuscripts. Ceramic work on display consisted of sculptural figures, coil pots, and cylindrical vases among others. The mix of traditional and contemporary artwork also reinforced the theme of the mural: “past and present”. Some of the students who exhibited artwork were Christopher Conger, Elliot Enos, Juliet Andreas, Chelsea Perkins, and Anna Marroquin.
The opening was well attended and many other people also viewed the beautiful artwork during the month. Many dignitaries from the SRPMIC community and the school district showed up, including Vice President Martin Harvier (Vice President of the SRPMIC Tribe) and Dr. Frederick (SRPMIC School Superintendent). Mr. Mc Kinney (from SCC) brought his college art class to see the artwork, and representatives from SCC and the American Indian Program office were also present. All in all, the event was a great success, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with SCC in the future.
