Holmdel Students' Art Chosen for State Exhibit

HOLMDEL, NJ - Five seniors at Holmdel High School have been invited to display their work at the Art Educators of New Jersey's (AENJ) annual exhibit celebrating Youth Art Month. The artwork was displayed Saturday at Brookdale Community College's Performing Arts Center.

Kayla Clark, Patricia Luk, Paige McMorrow, Jolie Shave and Nicole LaGrua were all selected to have their work on display at Brookdale. LaGrua was additionally honored to have her work selected, along with five other pieces from the Brookdale event, to go on to the New Jersey art exhibition at the Trenton State House, up now through March 31.

Every March, AENJ asks for member teachers to submit six pieces of artwork to be judged by a panel of art educators from the association’s ranks. Holmdel art teacher Alana Lazar invited students from her Honors Advanced Drawing and AP Studio classes to submit their best pieces. From there, six of the best projects produced by seniors were selected.

All of the participants will be continuing to hone their craft upon graduation, attending schools such as Rhode Island School of Design, Sheridan in Ontario for animation, and Syracuse University for architecture, to name a few.

“We are very fortunate to have the Honors Classes - Sculpture, Advanced Drawing, and AP Studio," said Lazar, the Holmdel art teacher. "This is where the art students begin to establish their identity as an artist. They are allowed the freedom to develop their own style and personality in their own work. At this level, the techniques are refined and higher level skills are incorporated into every class. It is not just about creating a class project, but more about creating the artistic process.”