The AC Blog

Honors and Portfolio Seminar Art Exhibit Opens April 14th

by Lori Wun, Art Teacher

Allendale Columbia’s 18-member Honors and Portfolio Seminar Art classes will hold their spring show and thesis exhibitions in the Anderson Alley Artist Studios. The opening reception is from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 14th, at 250 N. Goodman Street, in photographer Richard Margolis’ studio and gallery on the fourth floor, #4-8.

The opening reception will be part of the April Second Saturday event in Rochester. Second Saturday is a monthly open studio event for galleries and museums throughout Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts. We are excited that our students will not only be welcoming the AC community, but also the Rochester public to their show.

If you go, there are two entrances into the building that say “Anderson Alley Artists” over them. There is street parking on Anderson, Goodman and College Streets, and you can also park in the Anderson Alley and Village Gate parking lots.

 

Lori Wun Lori has 18 years of experience as an educator and has been an art teacher at AC for 14 of those years. She has taught grades 9-12, elementary and middle school students, as well as university undergraduates. Lori is a practicing artist with bachelor's degrees in fine arts and art history from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the College of William and Mary, where she focused on drawing, painting, and modern art history. She earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art where she concentrated on photography and video.

Club Honors Local Women of Distinction in US Assembly

by Alison Zell ’18 and Indy Maring ’18

Guests Trelawney McCoy, Safi Osman, Sarah Rutherford, and KaeLyn Rich with members of the Social Inclusivity Club.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Social Inclusivity Club at Allendale Columbia School organized an Upper School assembly to highlight and honor the contribution of local women in the Rochester community. The club’s co-chairs were moved by a project called Her Voice Carries that they discovered through an exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery.

Her Voice Carries, by local mural artist Sarah Rutherford, features five local, empowered women and the inspiring work that they do to support their local communities and to “lift up the voices of others.” Sarah collaborated with the women to design and paint five murals of them in different communities throughout Rochester. From there, the club chairs decided that the AC community would get a lot out of Sarah and her work and knew they needed to share her story and project with everyone.

The AC community was extremely fortunate to have three of the women, Trelawney McCoy, Safi Osman, and KaeLyn Rich, join Sarah to talk about the important work they’re doing.

• Trelawney McCoy, active in Rochester’s Northeast Quadrant, is the foster and biological mother to nine children. She works full time as a project counselor at the University of Rochester helping young mothers gain their independence. Trelawney believes that every child deserves love, and she has dedicated her life to that mission.
• Safi Osman is active in the Southwest Quadrant of Rochester. She is originally from Somalia, has lived in the United States for 2-3 years, and is an emergency translator. Safi also provides transport to refugees in need through Refugees Helping Refugees, an organization that she helped found.
• KaeLyn Rich is active in the Southeast Quadrant. She is a queer feminist who is an active writer and direct action organizer. She is the Assistant Advocacy Director with the New York Civil Liberties Union, a staff writer for Autostraddle, and also maintains a blog that focuses on parenting and family-making. KaeLyn’s new book, Girls Resist!: A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution, is up for preorder, to be released in August.

The women shared more about their passions and efforts in the Rochester community, then the panel opened for questions.

The assembly resonated with many at Allendale Columbia who felt that the stories of these women were inspirational to them, as they often feel as though they have little control over their world. This assembly showed these students that their voices matter and that they have the power to make a difference in world, which, at times such as these, is critical.

If you would like to learn more about Sarah Rutherford’s Her Voice Carries, visit https://hervoicecarries.blog/ where you can find more information about the artist, the project, and the different mural locations.

The Social Inclusivity Club works to promote awareness and acceptance to the problems of  marginalized people in our community. Learn more about the club on their blog, https://sicblogac.wordpress.com .

Alison Zell Alison Zell, Co-chair of the Social Inclusivity Club, is a senior at Allendale Columbia School. This is her 3rd year as Co-Chair of the club. Alison enjoys running track, baking, playing the trombone, and spending time with her family, including her bunny, Bunzo Dunzo, and her dog, Kali Zell. Alison is going to study nursing next year.

Indiia Maring Indy Maring, Co-chair of the Social Inclusivity Club, is a senior at AC. Indy has been a member of SIC for 3 years, and this is their first year as chair. They enjoy throwing discus, learning about cults, and playing with their cousin Riley. Next year, Indy plans on studying Political Science at the University of Rochester.

Creativity Abounds at Evening of the Arts

Creativity knows no bounds, as Allendale Columbia School students demonstrated at the biennial Evening of the Arts event on Friday, March 23rd. The exhibition featured over a hundred works of art from students in grades N – 12 displayed throughout the school. This year’s theme was “Art Around the World”.

Honors and Portfolio Seminar Art students plied their craft in the Bruce B. Bates Design and Innovation Lab, previewing their work for the upcoming spring thesis exhibition in April. Senior Madison DeCory appreciated the opportunity to help stimulate artistic creativity in younger students, as she mentioned in an interview with News 8 Rochester: “What we want to do tonight is showcase what we’ve been doing, showcase our talents, and get other students interested in the artwork that we’re doing.”

“It’s a variety of work all the way from photography — we have a black and white darkroom which is incredible for our students to have that experience — to printmaking, painting, drawing, design, digital work, and hands on work,” said Amy Oliveri, AC art teacher and Director of the AC Center for Entrepreneurship. A group of 5th graders even demonstrated their “crankie” from the Lower School musical, “I’m Not Sleepy…Yet!”.

Students working in the Global Engagement Diploma program also participated in a bit of social entrepreneurism, selling handmade baskets from a women’s collective and shade-grown coffee to benefit the program’s partners in El Sauce, Nicaragua.

News 8 Rochester summarized the event on their evening news show.

Evening of the Arts Presents “Art Around the World” March 23rd

The festive opening reception for Allendale Columbia School’s Evening of the Arts Biennial will take place Friday, March 23rd, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. The exhibition features hundreds of works of art from students in grades N – 12 displayed throughout the school. This year’s theme is “Art Around the World”.

Highlights of the event will include a group of 5th graders demonstrating their “crankie” from the LS musical, “I’m Not Sleepy…Yet!”, and the Honors and Portfolio Seminar Art students will be working in studio locations on campus as a preview for their upcoming spring thesis exhibition in April.

Refreshments will be served. Everyone from the AC community is invited! It is a great chance to socialize with other families and friends while taking in the talent and creativity of our AC students.

Parent volunteers are also needed for the Wolf Den, welcome table, and helping to direct people through the exhibits. Sign up here.

Kindergarteners Present MLK, Oceans at Performance and Art Show

AC Students Exhibit at RIT Gallery

Download poster

Four Allendale Columbia School students have been selected to display their art at START HERE, an invitational exhibition from students in the Middle School and High School art programs of the Rochester and Finger Lakes region at RIT’s Bevier Gallery.

Desk by Madison DeCory ’18, Andrew by Yiming Tang ’20, Envy by Marlin Bassett ’21, and Dark Portrait by Adrian Fuller ’21 were chosen for the exhibit by art teachers Amy Oliveri and Lori Wun. Middle and High School teachers from the region were allowed to each select and submit a piece from two students for the show.

The exhibit opens with a reception on Friday, January 26th, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Awards will be presented to selected students at 5:30 p.m. in the Webb Auditorium. The exhibit runs through February 10th. (Click for directions.)