Neepawa students featured at ArtsForward

Mixed media exhibit seeks to inspire

By Casper Wehrhahn Neepawa Banner & Press

A selection of Neepawa students are showing off their creative muscles to the public for the first time. Works from the local students, featuring a wide swath of mediums, are all on display at ArtsForward until Apr. 28. Last Friday, Grade 10 student representatives Empress Ferreras, Fatima Mallari and Yleven Cortez were on the scene providing tours of the exhibit to younger students and answering any questions they may have.

The Banner & Press had the opportunity to speak with them and learn more about the works on display.

“It’s a little overwhelming and a big thing for us, to show our work like this for the first time,” said Cortez.

Mallari added, “We’re very excited to show it as well, though.”

The first items highlighted were a set of hollow sculptures created using tape, with the assistance of students acting as their models.

“The one we worked on was the fairy on the swing,” said Cortez. “Fatima was the model for it! It took two weeks to complete, it was a lot of work.”

The overall theme for the tape sculptures, of which there are four on display, was ‘enchanted forest’. Accompanying the representatives’ own sculpture is a fairy sitting on mushrooms, an elf and even a demogorgon from the popular show known

as Stranger Things.

In addition to the tape sculptures, a variety of other sculptures using old books, recycled cardboard and clay are present; along with dioramas, sketches, pastel drawings, plasticine paintings and mixed media portraits and collages that include quotes which inspired their creator.

“All of these are projects that we completed with our art teacher, Miss. Martin,” said Ferreras. “It’s pretty cool.”

While Mallari, Ferreras and Cortez are proud of their own work, they found themselves drawn to the other mediums in the exhibit as well. Mallari to the mixed media collages, Ferreras to the repurposed books and Cortez to the pastels and dioramas. It’s easy to see why– every project’s unique medium was an exercise in showing students just how vast the opportunity for creation extends. Just about anything can be used to create something, if an idea is present.

In a closing statement on behalf of all students involved, Cortez said, “We feel very honoured [by this opportunity] and we hope that the viewers who see the exhibit will be inspired by the work, too!”