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McCluer Students Among First to View Exhibit by Nationally-Known Artist
Three McCluer High School students were among the first to view a new St. Louis Art Museum exhibit by nationally-known artist Kehinde Wiley. The students, Imani Greene, Lanae Connelly and Santia Maderios, along with their art teacher Michele Pazarena, were participants of Exploring with the Artist: Kehinde Wiley, held in October. Wiley is the artist who was selected by President Barack Obama to paint his presidential portrait that now hangs in the Smithsonian Institute.
“This was a special activity for the students, as there were only 19 students throughout the metropolitan area who were selected to participate,” said Pazarena.
The students met Wiley, who provided an explanation of the exhibit and allowed the students to ask questions. The exhibit features Ferguson residents as the models in his paintings. After their time with Wiley, the students met with St. Louis-based artist Robert Ketchens and worked on self-portraits.
“This was a very interactive day, thinking about art, the communication of what visual art can be and the self-expression of making art that features the students as the artist and model,” said Pazarena.