Trend Tower, which opened this week in the Harbor, commissioned Heath students for art throughout the building. Dan W. Bobst, owner of Trend Tower had a vision, “Ten years ago, I went on a field trip with former superintendent Dr. Gene Burton. When we were driving back across the lake, I told him that I wanted to put an office tower on top of the hill next to IH30. Amazingly enough, the Tower went in the EXACT spot I pointed to. It is my pleasure to allow the public the opportunity to see 360-degree views of our community as well as visuals of cities 40 – 60 miles away. Commissioning the artwork of RISD high school students is just another way to get the community involved in the Harbor Heights project. This is a great way to allow these teenagers an opportunity to showcase their talents. “
Students of Susan Aston and Karen Tucker were able to work on this project and gain real world experience creating art for a customer. Susan Aston was pleased to say “All of our students are so grateful for this opportunity. The students are 15-18 years of age and for many of my students, this was their first time to use oil paints and to paint on such a large canvas. This was definitely their first time to work for a client. Thank you so much for giving them this real-world experience! “
For the oil paintings, there were 18 students involved. 16 students created a painting and 2 helped. Students involved were Matthew Corey, Yorlynn Engmann, Hanna Ray, Amelia Meno, Alexis Crump, Logan Sharon, Alycia Truong, Taryn Wheeler, Brooke Birleson, Jillian Cruzet, Harper Gillentine, Jacqueline Kysil, Mackenzie Long, Ana Noriega, Lorena Ramirez, Lendy Urbina. The 2 ladies that helped too were: Raquel Ankilewitz and Courtney Sosnowski.
Students were very excited to work on the project and stated:
“As a high school Art student, having the opportunity to paint something to be displayed in a place like the Trend Tower is amazing. It took a bit of time to create, but it was definitely worth it. I can’t wait to see it there!” – Alycia Truong
“Painting for the Trend Tower was an unbelievable opportunity!” – Jillian Cruzet
“This project was very fun and taught me a lot about working with Art in Business.” – Yorlynn Engmann
“The Trend Tower project was a great experience and I was so flattered that we were asked to work on it. The experience of working with oil paint was beneficial to my skills as an artist and I think this opportunity enhanced our Art program as a whole. Now every time I go to my doctor’s office, I’ll see my time and effort paid off on a canvas in the new building.” – Matthew Corey
Mrs. Tucker’s AP 3D, all Ceramics classes and Photography Club were able to help with sculptures and photography.
Individual Sculpture pieces –
Bobbie Carr – 2 pieces
Chloe Calloway – 2 pieces
Bailey Dillingham – 2 pieces
Lauren Higbee
Haneen Abusaad
Jessica Kiker
Reace Cano- Garcia
Christian Mackin
Statements from Individual Artists:
Chloe Calloway – “I love to sculpt so I always put all my effort into my pieces. Knowing that they will be in a public place for so many people to see just made me work harder to make sure everyone has the chance to experience my pieces at their best. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks”.
Bobbie Carr – “Sculpting for the public view puts another layer of pressure onto all the big and difficult pieces we made, but the end result as people get to enjoy, makes it all worth it”.
Bailey Dillingham – “I’m excited about having my artwork displayed, because I get to show my family and friends what I’m best at”.
Jessica Kiker –” This piece involved a lot of time and effort but I’m glad that I stuck with it and participated in this project”.
Reace Cano-Garcia –” It was a frustrating time but I’m glad that I got it done for Rockwall to see!”
Lauren Higbee – “To create my piece for the Trend Tower, it took a huge amount of diligence and time. Each leaf was individually placed and crafted for that specific spot. The glazes and the color choices that I used were a perfect match for what I envisioned. The vase was a challenge, but an awesome experience and honor to create. I am really happy with the outcome of my piece”.
4 Collaborative Sculptural pieces and wall hangings – All ceramic students participated were Katelyn Beckett, Jacqueline Caravano, Giovanni Castillo, Sereniti Gary, Moises Jimenez, Cameron Keith, Alex Rodriguez, Laura Rosas,Katherine Menjivar, Mallory Rice, Madie Wilson, Bianca Muniz, Haneen Abusaad, Gareth Adams, Hunter Anderson, Rose Davidson, Chandler Glidewell, Kaci Gonzalez, Preston Gunther, Emma Homs, Victoria Lack, Ryan Peterson, Madie Rubenstein, Jessica Sladovnik, Regina Tillis, Taivon Warmsley, Raine Williams, Callie Crawford, Andrea Garcia, Kelli Kariampuzha, Brock McPherson, Taylor Mead, Samantha Montes De Oca Guzman, Justin Murphy, Javier Sanchez, Coletin Soppe, Megan Cook, Austin Davis, Madison Galban, Fidel Maldonado, Taylor Mayfield, Sara Miller, Jeffrey Austin Anderson, Michelle Azcarate
Photography Club: 10 Large, Gallery wrapped Photographs to be displayed on the 5th and 6th floors of Trend Tower.
The Photography Club students whose photos were selected:
Elise Pracher
Austin Lu
Kennedy Thornton
McKenna Wilhelms
Patrick Hargrove
Melissa Allen
From Patrick Hargrove Photo Club Founder – “Building the Rockwall Photo display was a great experience for the students of Rockwall Heath High. We all found unique ways to represent our town and had a substantial number of photos, submitted – of 83 photos, only 10 were selected for the final display. We’re glad to see that our photos could make a lasting impression in our community and for the spirit of our town. Thank you to everyone involved”.
Mrs. Tucker’s 9th period Art 1 class
Advanced Architecture Student:
Blake Buchanan and Moises Jimenez – Handyman
By Rockwall ISD
5/15/2014