‘Nightmare on Main Street’ returns to haunt Huntington
The spookiest month of the year signals the return of the Huntington Arts Council’s (HAC) highly popular annual student exhibition, Nightmare on Main Street, a Halloween-inspired juried art exhibit for Nassau and Suffolk County students in grades 6 to 12. The show opened on Oct. 20 and runs through Nov. 12.
This year’s juror, Holly Hunt, asked students to interpret and represent the concept of fear in their artwork.
“As a professional photographer who regularly submits to art calls and attends gallery shows, I was beyond impressed by the 224 submissions that showcased not only fresh ideas, but a true understanding, yet a broad interpretation of the theme that I presented of fear. The level of skill and sophistication I experienced as I viewed the submissions was mind-blowing,” said Hunt.
She continued, “I had my hands full as I culled through this diverse collection of artwork, not only because of the number of submissions, but I had to balance many factors in my choices; innovation, subject matter, interpretation of the theme, and more, but most importantly, originality — which I know in this day and age is an accomplishment in itself. Many pieces stopped me in my tracks, some at times eliciting an audible ‘wow!'”
Hunt ultimately chose 58 pieces to be featured at the Main Street Gallery.
Congratulations to the following students: Alyana Abreu, Ava Beck, Ameila Bhario, Eden Bonamassa, Cassidy Conkiln, Lindsay Connolly, Carly Corcoran, Ava Coco, Emily Dahl, Clare DeSario, Maya Flam, Lily Fu, Divya Ganshani, Sarah-Kate Giarrizzo, Juliet Granz, Matthew Holcombe, Alyssa Huang, Soraya Jabir, Emma Jacob, Jada Joseph, Kashish Kochar, Samantha Koepele, Jayla Koster, Mattie Krakoff, Olivia Lanci, Abigail Laureta, Molly Lebolt, Rachel Learned, Kendra Saint Louis, Chamille Malcolm, Giselle Marquez, Isabella Mascetti, Mairead Matthews,Emily Miccio, Kaylee Neems, Sulayman Noori, Lily Orjiako, Jillian Ostrow, Samantha Peace, Alexis Rabinovich, Reece Rene, Marianna Rountos, Ava Sarrocco, Abby Schiff, Grace Schoonmaker, Keira Searson, Mickayla Sharkey, Xavier Tian, Jessica Wang, Warren Wei, Amanda Weng, Scarlett Willems, Lilly Zarmehrbakhsh, and Christina Zhong.
The additional 110 pieces of student art work that was submitted will be featured on the HAC’s website.
“In it’s 12th year, Nightmare on Main Street represents not only one of our most popular exhibitions, but an incredibly rewarding one as well. The Halloween theme, regardless of how it is interpreted, is a familiar one to most of us. This opportunity we provide has proven to be an accessible and rewarding arts experience for students. Very often this show is a first for many young artists. Seeing their own work in a gallery setting can often be the motivation and encouragement a student needs to continue to create. As a community based organization this show is inspiring to all of us. Please continue to support and encourage our next generation of artists,” said HAC’s Executive Director, Kieran Johnson.
Huntington Arts Council’s Main Street Gallery, 213 Main Street, Huntington is open from Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends TBD. For more information, call 631-271-8423 or visit www.huntingtonarts.org.