Bridgeport Art Center Hosts Art ConnectED High School Exhibition

Niles West Art students were recently given the ability to showcase their talents at the annual Bridgeport Art Center Show. The show was hosted by Art ConnectED and took place on Sunday, April 23. Giving students and teachers the opportunity to view students art work and meet with college representatives, the show allowed for many new experiences.

ArtConnectED, an organization co-founded by Niles West teacher John Zilewicz, provides numerous experiences for high school art students all over Illinois to be in art shows, including the annual Bridgeport Art Center Show.

“We developed the program because we saw a huge need for showcasing artistic talent on the same level that schools seem to highlight athletics. So we created ‘the biggest art show ever’ which became the Illinois High School Art Exhibition. The show features three separate exhibitions under one roof and also hosts the only live, interscholastic and head-to-head art competition in the state called the ‘Art Throwdown,'” Zilewicz said.

In the “Art Throwdown,” students compete in drawing, illustration, three-dimensional sculptures, photography and painting contests.

The Bridgeport Art Center is a museum that is converted from a warehouse. ArtConnectED took over the 3rd, 4th and 5th floor of the building in April. Teachers chose five of their best pieces in the school and the work was displayed in the General Exhibition. Seniors involved in Art ConnectED joined a competition where they showed their portfolios to art schools and programs. If they win, their work has the chance to be shown in the Senior Scholarship Exhibition. Senior Austin Blinkal’s piece was displayed in the senior scholarship exhibition.

“I felt proud that my art was on the wall. It was something that I achieved, and it was really cool. It was a nice moment,” Blinkal said.

Having artwork showcased was not the only way to win big at this show; senior Enna Kim received a reward for being one of the top 20 people who got the most scholarships in all of Illinois. “I spent two to three hours there. It was great seeing a lot of different artwork. I saw everyone’s creativity and the different mediums they use. I was so surprised to see the award sticker next to my art which meant I won top 20 scholarships,” Kim said.

Zilewicz’s dream of creating a huge art show became a reality. ” [We have] over 100 Illinois high schools, both public and private, city and suburban participating annually. We have over 1000 high school students competing each year for various prizes and scholarships. We recognize students in 8 different art categories, this year awarded over $163 million dollars in total scholarships, which Niles West was the number one high school in Illinois with over five million dollars in scholarships and had student Zainab Ahmed recognized as the 4th highest individual award winner in the state,” Zilewicz said.