'PASSING THE PALETTE' Exhibition to Showcase Young Artists at MCCC Gallery, 11/16-12/8

The latest art exhibit coming to the Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Gallery shows that artistic expression can be a beautiful thing at any age. "Passing the Palette: Arts Educators and Their Students" showcases the generation of artists who are still in high school or are recent graduates, along with the teachers who are inspiring them to pursue their artistic passions.

The exhibit will be on display from Monday, Nov. 16 to Tuesday, Dec. 8. An opening reception with the teachers and their students will be held Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. The reception is free and is open to the public. The MCCC Gallery is located on the second floor of the Communications Building on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. Directions and a campus map can be found at www.mccc.edu.

According to Gallery Director Dylan Wolfe, the idea for this show has been percolating for several years. "We wanted to showcase the talent and creativity of our area art instructors, who don't often get a chance to display their own work. And, we wanted to highlight the high school students who are already growing as artists and interpreting the world in fresh ways," Wolfe said, adding that he is gratified by the number of art teachers and students who have elected to participate in the show.

More than 50 artists, including 13 instructors, from eight high schools will display 67 pieces in a variety of media. The participating high schools include Allentown, Hopewell Valley, Lawrence, Robbinsville, South Brunswick, Trenton Central, Trenton West and West Windsor-Plainsboro South.

Artists include: Allentown High School art teacher Laura Panosian Sommerville and students Skylar Hornyak, Alek Rhoad, Amanda So, Courtney Stover, and Victoria Walters; Hopewell Valley Central High School art teacher Carolyn McGrath and students Lara Ingraham, Kaela Moore and Peri Pavicic; Lawrence High School art teachers Cheryl Eng and Khalilah Sabree and Lawrence Township Public Schools art teacher Sean Carney and students Andrew Baicker, James Boushell, Samantha Gardocki, Barbara Gruszka, Emily Herrera, Bryan Lemus, and Benjamin Reitz; Robbinsville High School art teacher Freida Villepontoux and students Morgan Newman, Jessica Nicol, Madison Tomasko, and Dan White; South Brunswick High School art teachers Laurie Budhu, Dianne Belnay, and Elizabeth Snediker and students Jacqueline Aquino, Teresa Marie Capaccio, Sarah Chang, Rosie Kojiem, Josemari Lawas, Wendy Liu, and Alina Peng; Trenton Central High School art teacher Andy Seabert and students Amaliya Agambila and Marisabel Rivera Arroyo; Trenton Central High School West art teachers Nicole Backlund and Thomas Montanari and students Leslie Castro, Frankie Jade, Joan Mosquera, and Naila Muhammad; and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South art teacher Jane Proulx and students Bri?nna Hodges, Lehna Ding, Hannah Chun, Chinne Ezeigwe and Seriah Barnes.

Gallery hours for this show are Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For updates, directions and other information, visit www.mccc.edu/gallery or www.facebook.com/MCCCgallery.

Pictured: "Current Burdens," a mixed media by Alina Peng, a senior at South Brunswick High School, is among 67 works by high school students and their teachers, to be featured in "Passing the Palette" at the MCCC Gallery Nov. 16 to Dec. 8.