Students in the Art Club will be participating in the Youth Art for Healing Program where they will paint nine canvasses, which will be hung in a brand-new medical facility in Olney.

The new medical facility is called the Olney Outpatient Clinic in the MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital. Youth Art for Healing is a program in which the artwork of students is brought into healthcare environments to provide comfort and inspiration for the patients and healthcare professionals.

“The cause is to help [the patients] heal faster and encourage a more spirit-oriented feeling,” junior Miguel Sarmiento said.

“I had the program’s Executive Director, Jan Papirmeister, come to meet and explain the program to the students and many of the students were very excited and immediately signed up to participate,” art and photography teacher Limor Dekel said.

“The students are painting canvases with themes and colors that are specifically planned to provide tranquil and positive atmosphere to support healing,” Dekel said.  

There are three canvasses about the seasons using trees as a subject matter, three small lake and bird scenes, a large beach scene, a large cherry blossom scene, and a park scene. “The beach scene painting will be hung in the staff lounge. [The other canvasses] will be in various locations in the reception/waiting room and therapy rooms,” Dekel added.

A ceremony and dedication will be announced later and all the contributing students and their parents will be invited.

The art club students will be done with the canvasses by late winter and hung up in the facility in early spring.

On November 13, the art and photography students also went on a field trip to the Glenstone museum in Potomac, Maryland. The gallery featured works by Fred Sandback and there were several outdoor sculptures by various artists in the large property.

The current indoor exhibit which features the works by Fred Sandback are titled Light, Space, Facts.

Senior Annely Gutierrez also went on the trip and saw it as such an amazing experience. “I remember going all around the museum and just remembering that where you’re standing can be a different type of view compared to others and all the views make it look like a different painting.”

Gallery • 11 Photos

Victoria Joya Euceda

The members of the art club preparing to work on their painting.