By Haley Yates

Seniors Anna Fields and Kristin Rundstein and junior Emily White were among the 60 students whose pieces were selected for display at the O’Donnell Foundation Young Masters exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. Forty-nine studio art works, five art history essays, and five music theory compositions make up the exhibition.

All magnet AP Art students, including ceramics students, have to submit work for the exhibit. Anyone in an AP class has the chance to participate.

“The expectations are pretty high,” AP Art teacher Sonia Krusleski said. “The work has to be the best of the best. We had eight of my 30 students and one of Grant-Field’s and one of Findley’s make it to the final round, which was fantastic.”

Many pieces qualified but did not make it into the exhibit due to limited gallery space.

“The recognition of having your work displayed in one of the worlds prestigious museums is pretty awesome for a high school student,” Krusleski said. “This experience definitely benefits their outlook on themselves and their high school resumes.”

Anna’s entry “Fallen Hero” was a sketchbook piece that she did at the beginning of the school year. The assignment was to find a postage stamp and use it to create an original design.

“I found a superman postage stamp and made a John F. Kennedy piece out of it, representing the day he was assassinated in Dallas, TX,” Anna said. “I had just seen the movie Parkland and that was kind of what inspired me to make this piece, because I had researched JFK and the assassination, and when I found the superman postage stamp, I kind of thought it would be perfect to incorporate the two.”

Being in the art magnet has helped Anna prepare for college and set up her AP portfolio.

“I’m going to attend UT Austin and probably major in studio art and advertising and hopefully take my art into advertising,” Anna said.

Emily’s essay piece “Maidenhood and Motherhood” placed first of the 142 essays submitted to the exhibition, with only five being displayed.

“Having my writing on display is pretty fantastic,” Emily said. “Knowing that my work up on the wall for anyone to read is an amazing feeling. It’s really a great honor.”

The assignment was to compare two works of art from different cultures with a common theme.

“I compared the Portrait of the Cometesse du Monstsoreau and Sister as Diana and an Attendant by Nicolas de Largillive with The Seated Female Figure with Child by an unknown Yombe artist,” Emily said. “I was looking for artwork that involved the theme of women’s roles in society, and both the painting, which is French Rococo, and the sculpture, which is 19th century Kongo, fit the bill.”

Emily said many students in AP Art History wrote pieces for the assignment but did not submit them in fear of competition.

“Its important to have confidence in yourself and in your work and to seize every opportunity that comes to you,” Emily said. “Getting your work out there is half the battle.”

Krusleski said she feels blessed and fortunate the O’Donnell’s provided this opportunity for her students.

“Mr. and Mrs. Peter O’Donnell are giving patrons to the University of Texas in Austin and also Dallas,” Kruleski said. “I have been very fortunate to know their passion for Math, Science and Visual Arts is very personal to them. They are very warm and loving people who are approachable at the functions supporting the programs they are involved in.”

The student’s entries are hanging amongst famous artwork in Dallas’ most prestigious art museum.

“It’s really surreal, just the fact that my work is hanging with people who are famous artists,” Anna said. “It’s an honor that my art is hanging up on the same wall as theirs. It just makes you want to continue art and continue what you’re doing and it’s cool.”