April Showalter explained the Memory Project to visitors at the Bloomingdale High School Student Art Show held in May.
The Bloomingdale High School Student Art Show was held in May at Bloomingdale High School in Valrico. According to artist and educator Diana Speedy, “Students work hard all year to create their artwork. The Bloomingdale High School Student Art Show combines drawing, painting and sculpture of entry level Art 1 students through Advanced Honors and Portfolio seniors.”
Speedy added, “This event is the art student’s favorite time to showcase their work to their friends, teachers, parents and administrators. I’m really proud of the work my students have done.” More than 1,000 pieces of artwork were on display at the two day show.
Speedy is a proponent of exhibiting artwork and entering juried shows. She works hard throughout the year to get her students’ artwork submitted into a wide range of exhibitions and shows. “We have worked really hard this year to compete in 20 art events,” said Speedy
Speedy will often spend 12-14 hours working on getting the artwork into these exhibits and competitions. This includes matting, creating spreadsheets and transporting the work to the location of the show. “I do all of this for the kids. They have done a phenomenal job and I am proud of them,” said Speedy.
In addition, Speedy worked with students on the Memory Project. This is a unique initiative in which art students take photos of children from around the world who have been orphaned and create a portrait. The portrait is then sent to the child. This year, the children were from Honduras. The students include a brief note and a photo of themselves when they send the portrait.
For more information on Bloomingdale High School, please visit www.bloomingdale.mysdhc.org. For more information on the Memory Project, please visit www.memoryproject.org.
