Creating surreal art and performing with renowned foreign composers are just two of the accomplishments of the Western Wayne seniors chosen to be one group of WVIA artists of the week for fall 2018.
Both Melody Gershey and Katherine Moore have been named artists of the week. Melody for her visual art work and Kat for her work with performance art.
Melody’s interest in art stemmed from time spent with family members like her grandmother sharing the same talent.
Inspiration for one of Melody’s oil paintings “Autumn Impressionism” came from a piece her grandmother had created.
“I just picked up painting from a young age,” Melody explained. “I enjoyed seeing my family’s art and found it came naturally to me as well.”
Melody said that five of her pieces will be featured for WVIA in the mediums of oil, acrylic, and colored pencil.
One piece is a reflective self-portrait.
“It’s very surreal. I’m holding a huge book in a forest,” she described. “There is also a moon that has elements of the face of a clock. I included elements of things I enjoy like books, the moon, and the concept of time.”
Melody explained that she has enjoyed developing her art skills in her classes at Western Wayne. Her art teachers first introduced her to surrealism.
“I enjoy surrealist art because people can interpret it in so many different ways,” Melody said.
She feels honored to have been recognized by WVIA and looks forward to continuing to develop her love of art. She plans to attend cosmetology school next fall and has plans to start teaching art classes at a studio in Hawley in the near future.
Kat has a great love for visual art just as Melody does. The girls are in the same art classes for their senior year. Kat explained that she also enjoys painting and other art mediums.
However, the one area Kat excels at even more than visual art is performance art. She has earned many honors with her music over her four years at Western Wayne and is being recognized by WVIA for performance art. Some of her honors include qualifying to play with region orchestra for the past two years on obo and playing with music groups in the local community including the ensemble group the Marywood University Wind Symphony.
Through performing with this Marywood group, Kat had the opportunity this past summer to travel to China on a cultural exchange program and play with famed Chinese composers. She explained how she got to be conducted by the composer of the music for the introduction for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“I learned that music is truly a language for all,” Kat said. “We were all able to understand what he meant when working with him through how he expressed it.”
Kat enjoys playing a variety of musical instruments including: flute, piccolo, English horn, and her favorite instrument, the obo. She also likes singing.
Kat has had numerous meaningful experiences with music throughout her years at Western Wayne.
She named her experience playing in the pit band for Western Wayne’s production of Seussical her 8th grade year as one of her favorite times playing music at school.
“I was given the opportunity to play in the pit by my teacher Mrs. Ort. Not many 8th graders are asked to play in that particular ensemble,” Kat explained. “I was just starting to learn obo, and it was like a switch flipped for me and made me want to do music after high school.”
Kat plans to study music education next year and thinks that her experiences as one of the drum majors for the Western Wayne Wildcat Marching Band is helping her prepare for her future career.
“I love being able to go up on the podium and talk to the band and teach them,” Kat said. “In band, how you act is reflected off everyone else. I feel supported by the band as whole just as I support them in my leadership role. I love teaching people.”
Both Melody and Kat are thrilled to be one group of artists named as WVIA artists of the week for the fall of 2018. Their segment will air on WVIA in November. For the latest information on WVIA artists of the week, check their website http://www.wvia.org/education/artist-week/
