NCCU art museum displays K-12 creativity

January 31, 2025

Durham’s finest is back! A tradition of 50 years at N.C. Central’s Art Museum presents an art exhibition of students K-12 across 35 different Durham public schools. The exhibit was shown from Jan. 12- Feb. 2.

The exhibit allows students to display their talents and creativity. Many of the art pieces, especially in the high school section, were emotional and personal.

An 11th-grade student at Jordan High School created a portrait titled, “Distorted self-portrait” which featured a drawing of what looks like a girl on a school bus with a Snapchat filter. It relates to teenagers who use the social media app.

“High school students tend to explore more personal and conceptual themes in their artwork, often reflecting their individual perspectives, experiences, and emotions,” said Museum director Dr. Brenda Faison.

“This is encouraged as part of their artistic development. However, all grade levels bring a unique charm to the exhibit, showcasing a range of creativity and skill across age groups.”

In this section, there was also a painting of a girl taking a photo of herself in a mirror. The girl seems happy and looking at a self-portrait like that could relate to many school-age students who like to take selfies in the mirror.

A first grader created a cut-and-paste piece of the American flag, an interpretation of artist Faith Ringgold’s piece which was created to protest censorship in 1970.

“It’s a very amazing feeling for me and my child as well,” said Kratika Shrimel, mother of the first grader. “It makes me feel like they are seen.”

“Everyone makes art but displaying it in the museum can be a great initiative to encourage them to build more, create more..”

Each student contributed with a unique perspective and that is what art is all about. The closing reception, which the student artists and their parents will attend,  will take place on Feb. 2.

“My favorite part of the exhibit is seeing the variety of creativity from students across different grade levels,” Faison said. “It’s inspiring to witness the progression of artistic skills and ideas from elementary to high school students.”

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