Meet Artist Mark Priest at a Special Workshop for High School Artists!

"The Altruist" Mark Priest, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 7.5' x 7.5'

Sudent artists are invited to join us on Thursday, February 27, from 5-7 pm for a special gallery talk (and pizza dinner) with artist Mark Priest.  Mark Priest will discuss the inspirations for his work and answer questions about the life of a professional artist. 

The workshop is free, however registration is required by February 23 so that we know how much pizza to buy! 

About the Art of History Competition

For this competition, we invite students to create artwork inspired by historical documents from the collections of the Rensselaer County Historical Society.  Our topic this year is the early African American experience in Rensselaer County. This slice of American history includes documents such as a powerful letter from an African- American man threatened in the 1863 draft riots in Troy, an 1824 estate inventory listing enslaved persons as property, and a newspaper account of the rescue of fugitive slave Charles Nalle in 1860.

Students may work in the medium of their choice (see guidelines). Their work may be illustrative of a particular image from one of the documents, or it may capture a more abstract response to the documents.  We ask that students submit an artist’s statement along with their entry, reflecting on their artistic choices and the primary source documents that inspired them.

Student work will be judged by a three-person panel of art and history experts.  Works will be judged on artistic merit and use of historical source material.  The first prize is a $100 scholarship, (second and third prizes to be announced).  All student work will be exhibited at the Rensselaer County Historical Society from April 24 - June 19, 2010. All students entering the competition – and their mentor teachers – will also receive a family membership to RCHS ($60 value).  Winners will be announced at the reception to celebrate the opening of our exhibition of student work on the afternoon of Saturday, April 24, 2010.  All participating teachers, students, and families are invited!

For more information, go to http://www.rchsonline.org/aoh.html