Garden City High School student selected to participate in Long Island’s Best Juried Art Exhibition
Garden City High School AP Art senior Kaitlin Cook, under the direction of Mr. Shawn Uttendorfer, has been selected to participate in the Long Island's Best: Young Artists Exhibition at the Heckscher Museum. Each year, students in grades 9-12 are invited to create a work of art inspired by artwork shown in the Heckscher Museum. This year, 455 works of art were submitted, and Kaitlin is among 77 student-artists who were selected to be part of the exhibition.
Kaitlin's piece “Imperium,” was inspired by Fernando Carpaneda's piece titled “Shrouded Truths: The Dance of Denial,” painted in 2024. Her piece was selected from the Long Island’s Best Exhibition and earned a special invitation to be showcased at the Firefly Gallery in Northport for the month of June, following the close of the show.
“I sought to explore the concept of political disregard and division within power structures,” said Kaitlin. “I was captivated by the sense of immediacy and motion in Carpaneda’s piece and how he utilizes an isolated figure to emphasize its message.”
“Additionally, like the figure in Carpaneda’s work, I wanted my subject to be fully absorbed within its surroundings,” said Kaitlin. “I purposefully made each mark to create a delicate balance between harsh chaos and softly blended obscurity. This contrast is used to emphasize and compare the idealism and reality that is associated with absolute power, and the issues that come with faithfully tolerating a system of corrupt authority despite the chaos it may cause.”
Congratulations to Kaitlin on being selected to participate in the Long Island's Best: Young Artists Exhibition.
