NAHS Hosts Art Show Fundraiser for Local Charity

On Sunday, the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) along with the SME Coalition, hosted a show displaying dolls and handmade figures at the VALA Gallery. The creations were made by Shawnee Mission students in grades K-12 in workshops throughout the year. The proceeds from sales benefited Change The Truth, a locally-run organization that benefits the St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood in Kaggansi, Uganda.

“I personally like [Change The Truth] because it is local, but has a global reach. The organization is small enough that when you give money it actually makes a difference,” NAHS sponsor Adam Finkleston said.

Junior Amy Franklin worked with Mission Valley students to make yarn dolls for the show.

“It gets kids interested in art early, it’s not just fun, you can help people with it,” Franklin said. “You can help connect to the world.

The dolls ranged from $1 to $25 depending on the intricacy of the design.

Senior Emily Collins had the opportunity to show her work from this year. It was her first time that her art was publicly displayed. Collins began to develop her pieces for the show in August and finished last week. She was inspired by on her trip in Uganda this past December and based her collection of art on her experiences with the girls she worked with there.

“My concentration started to be on weddings, in the customs and taboos that surrounded the culture in Uganda and morphed into all of the events in a woman’s life,” Collins said. “I explored the pros and cons of things like marriage, being a mother, graduating and creating your own life.”

Collins created a total of nine pieces and used a variety of mediums including wire, sculpture, wood, clothing and ceramics.

“When I got back from Uganda  I had no way to process what I had done and seen,” Collins said. “Art was the only way to explore my feelings and understand what I had just experienced.”

Finkleston believes that around 50 people attended the show throughout the day on Sunday. He estimates that they made between $400 and $500 to benefit Change The Truth.

“The show is not something that most teens are used to – it’s a different type of environment. It really makes you think,” Franklin said.