As one walks through the CHS campus, beautiful displays of art made by students can be seen throughout the 400 and 500 quads. The school boasts an abundance of artwork from its students and encourages them to express their artistic side. One student, Haily McMullen, has decided to go above and beyond the walls of CHS and display her artworks and the artworks of other CHS students and alumni. On Oct. 13, senior Haily McMullen and various other CHS students and alumni took part in the Pomona Art Walk in a show called “Artist in the Alley.” There, artists were able to display works of photography, paintings, and sketches.
When asked why she decided to host the show, aptly named after its location, McMullen said that her reason was quite simple; McMullen, as well as many of her peers, just enjoyed creating art. In putting on this art show, McMullen’s goal was to put on a show that could display their art as it is not always viewed by many others. The show did not have a particular theme for its artists to follow and, as such, it allowed the artists to create art as freely as they desired and be able to be as creative as they wanted. Her intentions were to create a space where she and her fellow artists could have their work be displayed and the Pomona Art Walk was the perfect venue for this.
McMullen as well as a handful of CHS students which included seniors Fiona Baler, Marisol Medina, and Ethan Detar had their artwork be featured in the show. Medina herself contributed paintings to the art show.
“I like making art and I saw it as a perfect opportunity to showcase my art for other people to see and enjoy since I only post some of my work on Instagram,” Medina said.
There will definitely be an Artist in the Alley part two according to McMullen. With the positive reception from the first one as well as the big turn out, she is very excited to put on another show and hopes to feature even more works from those who were able to participate last time as well as works from new artists. Art is her passion and she hopes to be able to share it with others as well as she can. The following art show took place on Nov. 10th and, just like with the first art show, it was free to the public and had an amazing turnout.
“I don’t really believe in making people pay to see art.”McMullen said. “That’s why it was free. Donations are accepted though, but that is only because they help us so that we may continue to put on galleries like this.”
Like the first “Artist in the Alley,” McMullen does not have many expectations for future shows. Her only hopes are that artists who are passionate about their craft can take part in it and those who have a deep love for art will attend.