Cincinnati, Ohio, April 5, 2016 – Cincinnati area Catholic High School students recently competed in the inaugural Catholic High School Art Exhibition entitled “Imagine Our Spirit.” Saint Ursula Academy senior Elisa Russell of Pierce Township earned “Best in Show”, the top honor, with her drawing “Stag Hunt Reimagined”.
It was while Elisa was taking both AP Art Studio and AP Art History at Saint Ursula Academy that this piece began to take shape.
“Because I was being exposed through the study of art history to many important pieces of art, as well as many famous artworks that were re-imaginings of others, I had become inspired to draw from history and create a personal, more stylized take on a famous piece of art work. The piece I was inspired by is called Stag Hunt, and it is a Greek mosaic, c. 300 BCE. When I saw this mosaic, I was really struck by its composition and intrigued by the story it told. The mosaic is a realistic depiction of a common ancient Greek activity, and my wish through this re-imagining was to imbue it with more mysterious and fantastical elements. My intention when making this piece was to take a recognizable composition and bring my own style and point of view to it,” said Elisa.
Elisa intends to attend the University of Kentucky in the fall with an Art Studio major and a minor in Creative Writing. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in fine art or illustration.
In all, over 70 pieces of artwork were submitted to the competition and three Saint Ursula Academy students were recognized for their entries. In addition to Elisa, Caroline Eyer ’16 of Pleasant Ridge and Kelly Gunderson ’16 of Hyde Park were also chosen to have their work displayed at The Flats Art Gallery in East Price Hill’s Incline District.
The competition was initiated by Elder art teachers David Buetsche and Kim Plagge and Mother of Mercy art teachers Theresa Murphy and Murray Dwertman as a way to recognize the tremendous artistic abilities of students enrolled in area Catholic High Schools. They were able to promote the contest, as well as display the student’s artwork for the general public to view thanks to support from KB Partners LLC, Plaza Art Materials, and the Flats Art Gallery.
St. Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. St. Ursula welcomes students from more than 70 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. In 2002 the Academy was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of St. Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. The Class of 2015 earned college scholarships totaling more than $19-million.
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Photo Caption: Saint Ursula Academy’s Elisa Russell’ 16 of Pierce Township won “Best in Show” for her drawing “Stag Hunt Reimagined” during the 2016 Catholic High School Art Exhibition