LIFE

Art show for community change

Clarisse Jorah, student, stands next to her recent work on display Dec. 14 at the Neutral Zone, 310 E Washington St, Ann Arbor

By Chanel Stitt
Contributor

Many people filed into the Neutral Zone on Wednesday Dec. 14 for an art show with pieces made by students of the Ann Arbor high schools.

The Neutral Zone is meant for teens to come have a free environment and be able to express themselves.
All the money raised from the show is being spent on creating care packages for the homeless in Washtenaw County and Detroit.

The room was packed with multiple bright individuals with big personalities showcasing their work.
Brett Trocchio, an English teacher at Pioneer High School, gave an assignment for the students to, “change the world in a community setting.”

“Our English teacher asked us what can we do to help the community as a semester project for our senior year, and I came up with the idea of an art show,” said Tylan Harris, a student at Pioneer.

“Our two major votes were making care packages for homeless people and having an art show, so we combined it,” said Fernanda Perrone, a student at Pioneer.

With Trocchio stepping back to let the kids plan it, they were able to gain communication skills and step out of their comfort zones to accomplish what had to be done.

“I’m a part of the Neutral Zone, but this is my first time using my voice to reach out as far as I can to bring people to one central location,” said Harris.

There were various positions that the students were able to take on which helped to build leadership and communication skills.

“I was head of the communications department. We reached out to businesses, put up posters, and communicated with artists,” said Clarisse Jorah, a student at Pioneer.

Jorah was also able to post her artwork in the show.

Many parents came out to support the fundraiser and they gave nothing but positive remarks about the students coming together to put this show forth.

“I think this gives the students an opportunity to show their work and let the community see exactly what kind of talent they have right here at home,” said Dr. Pam Harris, Tylan Harris’s mother.

The art show turnout was very successful and many students hope that this will continue to happen every year.

“It’s my senior year, I’ll be leaving,” said Harris. “I hope it can continue on afterwards. I think it’s very important for artists in high school to get the exposure that they need.”