WELCOME TO THE AVATAR!
The Avatar is a monthly publication filled with student works and projects all centered around art & literary works, set on showcasing the creative talents of our school. From painting, to writing, to performances, the Avatar is here to display the young artists of our generation in order to promote their growth.
The Gift We Keep Giving
By Jazmyn Scott
Congrats to Dex Hooker on being this month's Starbucks giftcard winner! I absolutely love their winning photo titled "Unreal". Getting to watch the process of this photo developing from the original to what it is now was amazing. The color scheme goes perfectly with the vibe of this photo. Good job Dex, Keep creating! Everyone, make sure you submit your artwork to the avatar for our January issue. You can either submit them to google classroom or by email to avatar@apps.limashawnee.com. We are also looking for more article submissions. If you would like to submit an article, just type it out on a Google Doc and send it to our email. I look forward to seeing all of your submissions! The avatar staff would like to remind you all how thankful we are for all who submit and write articles for us and we all wish you the happiest of holidays!
STUDENT ARTICLES
Graffiti Divided
By Ethan Truesdale
Last month's edition of the Avatar Contained two polls, one asking about the targeting of artworks as a way to display activism in a controversial way, the other being on the ethics of graffiti artwork.
In the poll for the targeting of artworks, it was unanimously answered that the targeting of artworks as a form of protest is not an effective way to display unrest.
I believe the most encompassing argument to be, "Its not very effective because the vandalism takes light over what the message they are trying to give. They are attacking these oil paintings because of the oils used in them. Climate change won't be helped by this, although it is being brought to light and seen by millions all over the world."
The graffiti poll was much more divisive. In the graffiti poll, it was asked if you would rather ride one of two trains, one covered in graffiti, and another, which was clean. 53% of responses said that they would rather ride the clean train, and 47% saying that they would ride the one with graffiti, here are two responses, showing both sides.
-"Yes, graffiti is vandalizing public property but it is so pretty to see the different designs and creating new works of art that inspire me so much and many to think outside the box."
-"Graffiti isn't lawful. Considering the amount of vandalism which has gone on in option A, I would be worried about the other actions people are perpetrating in the area."
FAMOUS DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS
By Alex Karapondo
December 4th- Wassily Kandinsky (Artist)
December 8th- Diego Rivera (Artist)
December 12th- Edvard Munch (Artist)
December 12th- Helen Frankenthalter (Artist)
December 13th- Taylor Swift (Singer)
The Scream (pictured right) painted by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. The agonized face shown in the painting has become one of the most iconic and recognizable images of art. Want to know more about this artist and this specific artwork? Then sign up for AP Art History for next school year.
December's Artist Spotlight
A Rockwell Christmas
By Alex Karapondo
Norman Rockwell was an American artist born in the late 1800s that experimented with various techniques and styles. Most notably oil paints and sketches. His artworks were very colorful and often used exaggerated realism of everyday scenes. He is known as a "storyteller" because of his ability to illustrate captured moments. Rockwell's most famous illustrations are his Christmas themed artworks. He is able to capture the anticipation of children and the coming together of families for the holidays. Many of his paintings were featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. The Saturday Evening Post was a magazine that was published six times a year until 1963. It was unusual to feature such detailed paintings on a magazine cover because paintings took a long time to complete.
AN EGG-CEPTIONAL TIME
By Atlas Henman
Concert in the Egg is a very interesting painting, with the origins of it being a mystery in it of itself. While thought to be a work of Hieronymous Bosch, it is now speculated that it is just a copy of his style. The music in the book is actually credited to Thomas Crecquillon, who was a famous composer back in this time, and there are even theories that he had someone paint this piece. However, the actual piece has not been attributed to anyone specifically, but the symbolism in the painting is definitely more interesting. With the players in the middle of the egg, they represent the yolk, which in turn is calling them fools due to the term “yokel”. It also appears that some of the musicians are so focused on the music that they are not aware of their settings, much like the owl on the man’s head, or the man getting robbed by the guy poking out of the egg.
Celebrating the Life of Emily Dickinson
By Rin Shipley and Kayleigh Clark
Out of her 1,800 poems, only 10 of Emily Dickinson's poems were published during her lifetime. She preferred to be a reclusive poet and keep her works to herself, however, after her death, her sister discovered her poems in drawers in her bedroom. She was known to keep to herself so it is no surprise that she had only published 10 out of her hundreds of works. Her poems achieved great success after her death earning her a net worth of five million dollars. This is a lot more than she had while alive as she was born to a prominent, yet not wealthy family. Emily Dickinson inspired many poets and writers with her most famous quote being “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tunes without the words – and never stops at all.” This comes from her most famous poem Hope is the thing with feathers. We celebrate the life of Emily Dickinson on her birthday, December 10,1830.
Rockin' Holiday Tunes!
By Noah Sims
Christmas music is a large part of the holiday season. It gets people in the spirit and helps them have a fun time in December. Whether you like listening to ballads like “Christmas Time Is Here” or if you like rocking out to “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, there are songs for you to enjoy.
But, not everyone is looking for a solemn Christmas song centered around religion. So, if you are looking for some non-religious Holiday songs, I’ve procured a list you can add to your playlist:
“Baby It’s Cold Outside”
“Run Rudolph Run”
“Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”
“Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”
“Sleigh Ride”
“Blue Christmas”
Rart: a Step Into The Future of Art
By Samantha Lauck
Rats painting on canvases has become quite popular as of late. The artwork made by these rats are complex and beautiful. The rats can even be led around by a stick held by their owner and can accept commissions. Thankfully, the rats are never forced to work and if they show any signs of reluctance, they can stop. As you can see from the picture to the right, rats paint in many vibrant colors and the art is reminiscent of many other human artworks, embodying nonsensical brushstrokes that somehow make sense in the end.
Senior Visual & Performing Arts Spotlight
By Jazmyn Scott
This Month's senior spotlight is quite literally on Jazmin Loaiza-Ordonez. This past weekend Jazmin starred in Shawnee Drama's production of "White Christmas" as Betty Hanes. This musical was the 7th production that Jazmin has been a part of. She was a nun in The Sound of Music, a tree/crew member in The Princess Capers, A bird girl in Seussical, Madam de la Grande Bouche in Beauty and the Beast, and Ash in Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars. Throughout all of her high school years, Jazmin's favorite role that she has played was Madam de la Grande Bouche because "It was the first role that [she] really stepped out of [her] comfort zone and [she] loved that [she] got to show off a voice [she] didn't know [she] had". When asked about her experience with 'White Christmas', Jazmin said that she was "really grateful that everyone in the cast put [their] differences aside and came together to put on a wonderful show that made a lot of people happy". She loves theater not only because she gets the chance to sing and perform in front of people but because she "love[s] making people feel different emotions and giving them something to be happy about [and] getting close with all the people involved." While being an active member in Drama club, Jazmin is also a member of ARC, Board Game Club, Red Cross Club, Art Club, and Tri M.Jazmin is planning on attending OSU Lima next year while majoring in psychology and minoring in performing arts. She plans on staying involved in theater even if she is only able to help backstage because she loves the environment.
AVATAR'S BLAST FROM THE PAST
By Dex Hooker
Both of these works come from the 1989 edition of Avatar. I chose the artwork because I like the shading technique the artist used. I selected the poem because, it is well written and I like the language used in it, the writers vocabulary is amazing and I think it deserved the recognition outside of the printed books. Both poem and artwork are by unknown artists.
His eyes closed as he finished his wish. His hand fell limp. The friend stood, slowly walked to the door and took down the fish. He ran his finger down its side with wonder. Then he walked to the bed and folded his friend with wonder. Then he walked to the bed and folded his friend's arms around its flowing beauty. One last time of old man opened his eyes and smiled. His friend smiled back.
-Unknown
A Little Pep in the Band
By Isabella Salem
The 2022-2023 men's basketball season has started and with that, pep band has started! Band members volunteer during basketball season to provide school spirit at home games through music. Pep bands play student section favorites; whether it’s from the radio or has been a classic amongst sports for years, everybody knows the music they play. Many pieces have also been featured from football season, like Seven Nation Army and Hang on Sloopy which are fan favorites! The band features many iconic instruments from half time shows like sousaphone, mellophone, trumpet, and saxophone. Win or lose the pep band supports our Shawnee basketball players in a great winter season!
A Tribute to the Avant-Garde
By James Harbur
“... it might rely heavily on electronics, tapes. I can kind of envision one person with a lot of machines, tapes, and electronics set up singing or speaking and using machines.” These are the words Jim Morrison of psychedelic-blues group The Doors used to describe how the music of the future would be made, and he was completely right. Nowadays anyone can use an app such as GarageBand and make successful music if they so choose to do so. Morrison’s idea was so ahead of its time, which is what makes it avant-garde.
Avant-garde art uses or introduces experimental and unusual ideas meant to push the boundaries of art, whether it be visual, audible, written, or performed. These artists can break into the mainstream, like Andy Warhol did, and find success while working against the status quo, or they can be Captain Beefheart, whose music in “Trout Mask Replica” is considered downright unlistenable by some. The art made by these people begs the question of “Is this art?” and “If this art, is this its future?”. These questions are necessary, because they are what lead to our future conception of art. Take for instance the recent rise in debate over whether artificial intelligence can create meaningful art. This idea was actually first proposed by Harold Cohen in the 1960s when he created his AARON program which made art all on its own. Cohen is a prime example of an avant-garde artist as we are seeing his ideas come to fruition in the modern age.
No matter what your opinion is of them, these artists hold a great deal of importance in our society, because very often their ideas plant the seeds that are the foundation of the art of the future.
Call for Submissions!
The Chelsea International Photography Competition
To enter you must be a professional or amateur photographer, you can win up to 55,000 dollars. Digital, analog, phone, and images taken by a camera are accepted. Must submit at least one image with a title of a topic chosen by you.
WIA2023
Enter illustrations in any medium. Includes images, gifs, and animations. Have a chance to get your artwork seen and get benefits and opportunities and also get cash prizes. Choose from up to 10 categories to submit to.
2023 Illustration Competition
Enter in up to 10 categories including animation, student works, books, and advertising. Winners are featured in annuals worldwide and certificates. Enter in series or just one as long as it’s the same category.
Avatar on Avatar
By Madison Barnett
The film Avatar released in 2009 set the record for the highest-grossing film of all time. It set speed records for grosses at and above $500 million, and the widest IMAX and 3D releases of any film. It even passed Titantic’s gross in 47 days. The film has earned $2.9 billion in worldwide box offices. The movie was so successful due to the advanced technology and dystopian society. The movie branches from race relations and a call for a revolution to destroying natural habitats for greed. Avatar puts perspective onto the present today and how humans treat our natural land under our feet. Avatar: The Way of Water is about a familiar threat walking into Jake, the main character's life, returns to finish what was started. Jake must work with Neytiri and the army to protect his home.
Snails in Medieval Art?
By Logan King
Art has existed ever since we started drawing on cave walls, and since then has been changing constantly. Prehistoric cave paintings have progressed to diverse modern art, including dramatic works filled with symbolism, surreal sculptures and paintings with no clear meaning, all the way to simple graffiti. It is only natural that to get to this point, art as a whole would have to go through some growing pains, which can be observed in many paintings throughout the 13th and 14th centuries. Throughout this period of time, many Medieval paintings are united by a single, common characteristic: snails.
That’s right, snails. More specifically, snails being fought by knights, as if some sort of monster. The epic duel can vary between instances: sometimes the snail is giant, sometimes small, the knight may be battling it on foot or charging on a horse, and many times the knight looks absolutely terrified to see the slimy fiend. The best part about the whole phenomenon is that no one knows why they’re there.
So it's left up to smart historian people to figure out why. Some theories about what the snails could represent include the Resurrection of Christ, usury (the medieval term for illegally collecting interest at unreasonably high rates), or groups of people who were considered treasonous by the illustrators. One theory references Psalm 58 of the Bible, which reads, “Like a snail that melteth away into slime, they shall be taken away; like a dead-born child, they shall not see the sun.” Perhaps the snails represent the idea of inevitable death, like the melting one referenced in the Psalm. However, my favorite theory doesn’t involve images of societal oppression, medieval culture, or biblical allusion. Instead, it may have been A PRANK THE WHOLE TIME!
That’s right, there may be no meaning behind the snails after all. They might simply be a goofy addition to otherwise unassuming illustrations. Bored artists and monks may have gotten together, decided that snails were the funniest thing ever, and just went at it. Maybe the humor was in the irony, since snails were such small, harmless creatures and heroic knights were fighting them, but I like to think that it goes deeper than that. I like to think that whoever drew these snails did so knowing that someone would dig it up hundreds of years later, and try to make sense of it all, when there was really none to make. These medieval artists may have pulled off the biggest prank of all time, illustrating mankind’s innate desire to troll.
Love of Photography
By Tyler Wicks
A photo taken is a frozen moment in time. Everyone that has ever taken a picture on their phone is a photographer. Like any other form of art, photography is a medium through which people can express themselves. I like photography because I’m not good at painting or drawing. When I do photography I just have to focus on the angles of the picture and what I am capturing. I also really like the convenience of photography because you can just take a picture at any time while with a drawing you have to sit down and bring out materials. I think everyone should get into photography even if it’s as simple as cell phone photography.
Scholastic Portfolio: I.R.L.
By Mason Reed
It’s that time of year again! It’s art show season. The Scholastic Art and Writing Competition is an art competition that happens every year around December and all of Shawnee’s artistic students, like me, can enter to possibly win prizes. I chose to enter a portfolio of photos I took and titled it “I.R.L.” It’s titled that because it reflects on real life events and feelings of real people. My portfolio is about the struggles of being a part of the LGBTQ+ community as a teen or adolescent. It shows all the internal and external struggles that could be faced when being openly or closeted trans and gay. The photos are shown below.
STUDENT SUBMISSIONS (ARTWORK)
Student Submissions (Written Works)
Untitled
people are leave, changing through the seasons
as the air becomes brisk, it gives people the reason
to put on a sweater, and sip a mint coffee
in the time of winter, all of the stresses weaken.
By: Anonymous
STUDENT SUBMISSIONS (MUSIC/VIDEO)
by Andrew Castellanos
2022/23 AVATAR STAFF
President - Jazmyn Scott
Vice President - Ethan Truesdale
Avatar Adviser - Mr. Krawetzke
Contributing Members
Dex Hooker, Tyler Wicks, Kenidee Morgan, Atlas Henman, Alex Karapondo, Rin Shipley, Kayleigh Clark, Mason Reed. Logan King, James Harbur
Featuring Creative Works by
Gracie Monday, Thomas Cover, Lucas Dunahay, Isabella Salem, Lena Parsley, Heather Hartzog, Caitlyn Smitheram, Olivia Miller