ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Art teacher Erin Sutton, left, and Classical High School student Elizabeth Hornblower work on a print making machine.
By MICHELE DURGIN
LYNN — Three Lynn Classical High School students, Elizabeth Hornblower, 18, Shirley Ortiz-Rovles, 17, and Andy Truong, 18, are feeling what professional artists must feel when their artwork is displayed in a museum or gallery. The student artists’ work, and their teacher’s, is part of an exhibition at the State Transportation Building in Boston.
Classical High art teacher, Erin Sutton, who is also a board member of the Massachusetts Art Education Association, said she couldn’t be more excited for her AP Honors students and hopes their work is seen and admired by the countless folks who come to the Boston office each day.
“This is a terrific opportunity for the students and their work is a wonderful reflection of the high quality art program we have at Classical,“ said Sutton.
“Our Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art program is something we are working hard to develop and promote, especially since it’s only in its second year of being offered.”
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The transportation building, located at 10 Park Plaza, is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The exhibit, “Meet the Board: Artwork Created by Members of the Massachusetts Art Education Association Board and Their Students,” will be on display until Feb. 10.
Sutton, who is in her first year of teaching at Classical, said this class, along with Portfolio Art, Printmaking, and Observational Drawing, are the centerpieces of the department and each student enrolled in the classes has his or her own sketchbook and portfolio.
“We try to give positive encouragement to students interested in art and provide them with a strong base that will lead them to great colleges that might focus on industrial, architectural or graphic design,” Sutton said.
Sutton, who earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Art and Theater from Colgate University, as well as a Master’s Degree in Education from Lesley University in Cambridge, said she enjoys her role as art teacher.
“I get to work with so many ambitious young artists each day, and there truly is nothing better than seeing their faces light up when they have that Ah-ha moment about a project they have put so much into. And I give each of them the same advice when they are planning their next piece of art. I simply say, ‘Dream big — you can’t go wrong!’”
Truong, a senior, has applied to Pratt Institute in New York and Rhode Island School of Design, and is hoping to nurture his affinity for art in college.
“I have always loved art and have taken classes every year for as long as I can remember. I love the program here at Classical because we are encouraged to come up with our own ideas for projects and our teacher is an excellent guide. I just finished creating a sculpture of my own hand and it’s going on display at the Transportation Building. I believe that art is a good way to connect with others.”
Ortiz-Rovles, also a senior, said, “Art in college is part of the plan for me, as well.” She has been accepted to Wheelock, Simmons, Gordon and UMass Boston, and is waiting for word from Harvard, Brown and Northeastern.
“I plan to major in International Relations or Political Science, and I hope I can take an art class or two along the way. I did send my art portfolio along with my applications because I wanted the admissions people at the colleges to get a sense of the ‘full me,’” said Ortiz-Rovles.
Hornblower, a junior, is undecided about her path after high school, but like her fellow Rams plans to keep art in her life.
“Art has always been my favorite class and I love to see the results of what my mind envisions,” she said. “I am thinking about joining the Air Force and I know I will continue to enjoy art after I graduate. I like to get my hands dirty.”