Akron Artist Stephanie Stewart is guiding and inspiring students at Summit Academy Secondary School – Akron through the stages of comic book creation. The eye-popping “fanzines” incorporate pop art and storytelling in a comic book format.
Visiting artist Stewart of P31 Art & Design works with the students every Thursday – 18 in all – thanks to a grant from the Ohio Arts Council. IEP Coordinator Sarah Pavis wrote the grant proposal that resulted in this partnership.
During a recent classroom lesson, Stewart told the students, “We want to see to it that you are happy and proud of the work you put out.”
As part of that lesson, students created self-portraits using red, blue and yellow Sharpies. Reminiscent of comic book art from the 1960s and 1970s, the black-outlined and -accented images literally pop from their pages.
Down to the finest details, Stewart teaches students how to draw hair in a series of coily shapes sweeping in different directions. “We want to remember the time you put in a particular mark,” says Stewart, describing the joy evoked by an artist’s strokes on a page or canvas.
The five-month project ties together art — in the style of pop art movement father Roy Lichtenstein –with creative writing and originality. For their books, the students created a superhero main character. One student designed a boombox superhero and another, a motherboard. Under the umbrella title, “A Day in the Life of [superhero],” the books incorporate plots, settings, storylines and collages.
“In art, the beautiful thing is when you’re drawing, painting, writing, this is your way of creatively sharing your story,” says Stewart, noting the talents of her Summit Academy Akron Secondary students on all fronts. “They are coming up with amazing ideas and putting them in a book format and communicating a storyline.”
This is the second consecutive year Stewart has served as a visiting artist at Summit Academy Secondary School – Akron thanks to support from the Ohio Arts Council. Last year, Stewart mentored students through the creation of art journals.
“It was fun. I love working with the kids,” Stewart says. “In 45 minutes, you can create something as well as a mutual understanding. Meeting students where they are has been one of the best moments I have had and I get to have it every week.”
School Principal Ralph Grant says the experiences his students are gaining working with Stewart opens their minds to the possibilities their futures could hold.
“It is another opportunity for our students to connect with a successful adult in an area of interest, providing positive feedback to each student,” he says.
Stewart says now is always the time to advocate for the arts and to allocate resources into the creative industry.
“When a community does not have a place for art or art funding, those communities suffer,” she says, adding on a personal level, “Art is a tool for communicating, healing and creating.”
https://oac.ohio.gov/