Museum of Midwood Art Expands to Two Floors for Third Annual Exhibit

The gallery expanded this year, filling both floors of the annex bridge. *Photo: Abril Flores*

By ABRIL FLORES and MARVE FORD

Nathanaelle Joseph and Han Xin Ou Yang contributed to this article.

Upbeat holiday music played in the background as students, teachers, and relatives gathered around the displays of artwork from the Drawing and Painting I and Graphic Design classes on the annex bridge on December 18 at 4 p.m. for the third year of the Museum of Midwood Art.

Mrs. Lauren Rocco and Mrs. Dawn Daoudakis, both art teachers as well as the organizers of the event, worked hard to set up the displays. The majority of the artwork was done by freshmen.

“We tried to do something with more color because I realized it was mostly black and white last year,” said Mrs. Rocco. “I wasn't sure how they would take on that challenge, but they did a really good job. They're fantastic.”

Mrs. Daoudakis was also impressed with her students' work. “They come in scared and concerned that ‘oh my god, I have to do something I’ve never done before, and other people are going to criticize it,’ but then they do amazing work,” she said.

Both levels of the bridge were decorated with depictions of still life, groups of objects, and portraits, in both paint and pencil. There was winter decor on the railings and paper snowflakes hanging by the entrances and on the walls.

Students chatted as they walked the galleries, and some were skipping and singing along to the music, bringing a cheerful vibe to the scene.

Freshman Ashley Fortune had a piece included that symbolized the bright and dark side of people, she said.

Freshmen Nikki Yee and Anastasia Smelnitsky drew singers Billie Eilish and Lana Del Ray. “I used pastels and I just freestyled it,” said Smelnitsky.

Hana Lajqi ‘28 drew a portrait of her mother. “I’m really inspired by her,” she said. “She's always been there for me, and she has always helped me throughout my life.”

Fariah Akhter ‘28 drew a portrait of a Korean actress in both black and white, and pink and blue, then cut up the pieces and put them back together like a puzzle. She wanted to deliver the message that “no matter how you look, you are beautiful,” she explained.

Later in the evening, Dr. Robert Quinlan stopped by.

“I'm so proud of the fact that I need to use stairs to get to the third floor to see even more artwork!” he said. “In our first year, we might have had 20 to 30 pieces. This year we have over 100, so this is just incredible.”

The Video Production Team (VPT) also came with cameras to capture the lively evening.

Mr. Henry Mei, the Graphic Design and the VPT teacher, hung around the third floor of the annex bridge where the Graphic Design class had their artwork displayed.

“I am super proud and super impressed,” said Mr. Mei. “It's their first time using Photoshop, and these are the results they produce. I am beyond amazed, and I can't wait to see what else they can do.”

At around 5 p.m., the crowd started to diminish, but the artwork was left up for the next day, allowing students and teachers to see it as they walked to class. In the coming years, the art teachers hope that they'll be able to expand the MOMA even further.

“The arts don't usually get the most recognition,” Mr. Mei said. “By having this gallery, we get to see what students can produce and hopefully appreciate the arts a little bit more.”