In a time when art is undervalued and not a scholastic priority in many parts of the country, the Whitmer Art department encourages, inspires, and advocates for students to create. They  have given our Panther-artists a voice and the power to be heard. Every year, art students are championed to showcase their work and this year, the Whitmer Art department represented the community well with power.

Student artwork was presented in the 2022-23 Owens Community College Art Show, Scholastic Art Competition, Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition, and the recent Congressional Art Competition. Whitmer students walked away with many awards. Our Panther artists created extraordinary work and represented our district well, but they also created more than just art.

“Art’s one of the only right brain activities we have at school. It’s where you can express yourself and put some of your own thoughts and emotions into something. It makes something personal. Most of your other classes, there’s a right and wrong answer to things. Here, there’s a million right answers, you’ve just got to figure out which one works for you,” art teacher Mr. Squibb passionately expressed.

Students often incorporate powerful messages into their artwork. With implications of racial, religious, and personal concepts, student-artists challenge and inspire the minds of those around them. Junior Marcos Banda had his artwork displayed in the Congressional Art Competition. His artwork titled “Our Red” features the album cover from Big Sean and Metro Boomin’s “Double or Nothing.” This album discusses issues of race and is politically salient at times. Banda used his love for music to create an intriguing and beautifully-done piece of artwork.