Painting a sense of connectivity, the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) members brought art awareness to the community through a variety of projects during Youth Art Month.
In past years, art teachers in Fauquier County have created an art show with a unique theme for the month. Due to COVID-19, the art show didn’t happen, and they followed a statewide theme of “Art Connects Us”. “On March 5, the Virginia Art Association put this thing out and said, ‘Hey, ‘Art Connects Us’, anything that you post, tag us with this to show how ‘Art Connects Us’ So we did. This year we did not come up with that theme generally we do,” said art teacher Dawn Brown.
NAHS members painted the windows of local businesses including Allstate, a family-owned business in Warrenton. “I used it as an initiative with the students that this is a good opportunity for Youth Art Month,” said Brown. “This is a great opportunity for us to get art out in the community and show how ‘Art Connects Us’.”
The opportunity for community window painting began when Foster’s Grille and Chick-fil-a reached out to Brown and asked if NAHS would decorate. “I think it’s just a good way to put art out there. It’s easy. It’s easy to put on and take off so it can be seasonal or it can be theme related…I think now it’s starting to kind of take off and branch out,” said Brown.
NAHS meetings have been less frequent as more students are working in their free time. However, Brown never has a problem getting volunteers to locations. “They generally get excited about doing something in the community,” said Brown. “When they know people are going to see it, you know…I’m hoping that as it continues that, you know, the kids will really take pride in what they’re doing out in the community.”
NAHS members also painted a mural in the FHS lobby. “I participated because I have always had a connection with art, and I wanted to imprint my passion on the community. I felt a sense of accomplishment and a realization that another student could look at the same art piece in a whole other way since we all will have different perspectives,” said sophomore Rebecca Cross.
Last year, members put up the wings in the FHS lobby and students added feathers and took pictures. This year, students took a stained glass approach to show how we all fit together but had a tough time getting participation with many NAHS members being virtual students. Brown says the idea “wasn’t as successful” as she had planned but thought the “painting itself is successful.”
Students felt a sense of accomplishment after these projects. “These projects were a great way to bring happiness to the community through art. Participating in these projects made me feel happy because I got to be with a group of friends and share my love of art with the school and community,” said sophomore Evelyn Goetz.
Even though Youth Art Month is over, the NAHS hopes to continue spreading the importance of art. “We’re still trying to put the message out there that art is really important in our community. Just what can we do to get our art out there that everyone can see in and be aware?” said Brown.