Mohonasen High School students at might have felt a little extra creative energy in the atmosphere, as they participated in the Capital Region Media Arts Festival on Thursday, March 26, hosted by Niskayuna High School.
At the festival, student videos, photography, computer art, graphic art, Web page designs, and electronic music were judged by professionals in those fields. In addition, students applying to The New York State Summer School of the Media Arts had their portfolios adjudicated during the festival.
Fifteen high schools from around the Capital District participated in the competition, which was co-hosted by the Capital Region BOCES Arts in Education Program and Niskayuna High School, which has been hosting the program for 11 years.
The highlight is always the work done by kids, said Scott Walroth, Director of Art Education K-12 for the Niskayuna Central School District. `Just the opportunity to have them share their own individual voices and their own individual perspectives through their work with everyone, for me, is always the highlight.`
He said the student work provides a glimpse into how young people perceive the world.
`Kids view the world a lot differently than we as adults do, and I always find it refreshing to see what they think and how they feel,` said Walroth. `It’s something that hopefully will keep all of us young.`
Included in the 15 schools that participated were Bethlehem High School, Guilderland High School, Mohonasen High School, North Colonie High School, Scotia Glenville High School, Shenendehowa High School and Voorheesville High School.
Keynote speakers for the event were Ashley Velie and Kevin Monahan, award-winning news anchors from two major television networks. Velie is a producer for `CBS News` and her husband, Monahan, is a producer for `NBC Nightly News.`
They shared their experiences of how they got to where they are, including stories of the time they spent covering the news in Afghanistan and Iraq and the challenges they faced being in a different country with a different language, and about `being at the mercy of those who are there to guide you and keep you safe.`
`I think the most important thing they said at the end was for students to be true to themselves and do what they enjoy,` said Walroth.
Stephen Honicki, an art teacher at Niskayuna High School, has been involved with the festival for 14 years.
`I look at it as a way of celebrating the media arts and getting a chance for all of the schools that participate an opportunity to see what’s going on around the area in either video or photography or computer arts,` said Honicki. `This is another opportunity for the students who have the honor of having their work selected a chance to see a larger audience view their work.`
Both teachers said that although advancements in technology have changed the work that is produced by students, it is only a means to an end.
`It’s a personal vision and voice,` said Walroth. `I think that the ideas have always been there and have always been sophisticated. They’re just being depicted in a different way.`
He said he believes the influence of technology over art has provided opportunities for students who may not have had some of the `drawing skills that other kids had,` to manipulate imagery in a variety of ways through the use of computers.
`No matter what technology a person has to use, it’s still about how to creatively and uniquely tell a story,` said Honicki.
The festival has been hosted at Niskayuna High School for the past several years partly because of its gallery space, which is unique to many high schools.
`We provide a venue that other schools don’t have the facility for or the space for,` said Walroth. `It allows the kids to see their work in more of a professional setting, rather than just tacked to a wall. It’s kind of a promotion space for ideas in general.`
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