Spring Art Show Brings Color and Surrealism to the Annex Bridge

Animal portraits sat side by side with mythical creatures. *Photo: Abril Flores*

By ABRIL FLORES and MARVE FORD

The Museum of Midwood Art was back for the spring on May 21, taking place on the annex bridge from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., showcasing new art, skills, and styles to all who came.

This year featured “surreal still lifes,” said Ms. Lauren Rocco, an art teacher and one of the event’s hosts.

“Overall, the show is more fantasy-based, more focused on using color and your imagination, as well as the community around Midwood,” she added. The varied subject matter included animals, mythical creatures from Ms. Dawn Daoundakis’s class, and portraits.

“Last night we were at [the Congressional Art Competition] for a student,” Ms. Rocco teased before the event. “She painted somebody from the school and it was one of the top three paintings there. I'm very excited about that piece.”

That winning painting, by freshman Ana Tsagareishvili, depicting the school and Principal Robert Quinlan, was displayed at the end of the bridge.

As the event began, the hall was filled with booming jazz and decorated with silver streamers and colorful paper flowers, some of which were made out of issues of Argus. Mrs. Rocco said that she saw a pile of old newspapers in the lobby, ready to be thrown out, and decided on reusing them for the show.

The corridor was jam-packed with spectators: teachers, parents, students, the artists, and Video Production Team members, who were taking photos and filming the event before leaving for the school’s production of Mean Girls, which took place later that same evening.

Jolia Reyes ‘28, one of the visiting students said, “There's a lot of different types of art styles. It's very beautiful. Good job to everyone who was brave enough to put their art up.”

Rashaun Benloss ‘26 created a digital pop art self-portrait. “I wanted to try and be creative with color choices. The most challenging part was actually picking them out,” he said. “In class, we looked at different color theories. At the end, I had two very similar colors and I felt like it wouldn't stand out compared to everything else, so I made a switch, changing one of them to green, and I think it helped enhance the design a lot more. Overall, I'm pretty proud of the artwork I did.”

For the first time, the art department also added sculptures, which were made with newspaper, cardboard, plaster, and other materials. Several were models of the school.

One of the more memorable pieces at the show was a 3D build on a canvas easel just outside of the annex. The painting featured sharks rising out of the canvas and textured water ripples.

“I like that it's 3D and that it's a little bit scary,” said Spanish teacher Ms. Mardee Goodwin. “It's coming out at you, it's unique, and I really like sharks.”

Kashmala Bibi ‘28 drew a portrait of a dragon. The most difficult part was its fire. “At first I was going to burn the paper but then I decided to just use [orange, yellow and red] tissue paper” for the effect, she said.

Michele Jackson, a parent who came to see her child’s artwork, said, “I think everything is beautiful. I'm amazed. I'm in awe. Hers and everybody else's are amazing.”

At around 4:20 p.m., as the crowd started to filter out, the organizers turned to plans for next year.

“We condensed [this one] a little, so we have a one floor show, but I think in the fall we'll go back to two,” Ms. Rocco said. “I think more sculptures would be interesting. If we can do a little bit more of that, that would make the show come to life even more.”