Portraits of Parkland Victims Entered in National Art Competition
SHP Studio Art students commemorated Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victims in a series of portrait paintings, now on display in the Salzman Family Great Hall in Homer.
SHP Studio Art students painted portraits of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victims; two of the paintings, by sophomores Anna Suarez and Jack Barry, have been submitted to a nationwide art competition.
The juried competition will select a winning student artwork to be showcased in the Senate hallways in Washington, D.C. The winner from the 18th district, which covers Atherton and the surrounding area, will be announced on congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s website.
As part of the project, students researched the lives of each victim, studied their photographs, and learned how to approach portrait painting. Art teacher Peggy O’Leary led discussions on the tragedy, its aftermath, and the national response to the school shooting.
“Because of our students’ personal connection to these individuals, the Parkland survivors’ activism spoke very deeply to them,” said O'Leary. “[This project] made the connection to the event very tangible.”
The portraits were completed in time for the SHP social justice teach-in on March 15th, which focused on various types of violence and peaceful solutions to conflict. “The timing for our community to see these portraits was profound—it made a lasting impression.”
The artwork is on display in the Salzman Family Great Hall in Homer through the end of the year, along with student-written biographies of each victim. Click here for more photos of the paintings.
Sacred Heart Schools Atherton
Founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, SHS is a Catholic, independent, co-ed day school for students in preschool through grade 12
