Old Rochester High students recognized for artistic prowess

Feb 6, 2022

Five students at Old Rochester Regional have been recognized for their excellence in the visual arts. 

Three artists were selected for inclusion in the Emerging Young Artists Juried Exhibition, hosted by the College of the Visual and Performing Arts at UMass Dartmouth.

Autumn Tilley, Isabella Correia and Makayla Semiao — all seniors — are among the 178 students whose work was chosen out of 656 students from around the region.

Autumn Tilley was awarded an honorable mention for her digital drawing titled “Traversing the Static.” Tilley said her goal was to evoke feelings similar to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder through her composition, mark-making and use of color. 

Correia’s charcoal and watercolor drawing explores the artist’s feelings about human connection through human figures in an abstract space.

Semiao’s black-and-white photograph, titled “Flower Child,” was taken in a park. She said she’s proud of the composition and range of values in the photo, and plans to include it in her portfolio.

Two Old Rochester seniors were recognized for their entries to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. 

Emma Levasseur’s entry, titled “Distorted Love,” is a photo she took using colored light to represent her interpretation of a song. She won a Silver Key for her depiction of a woman feeling destroyed by love.

Talia DeLeo won an honorable mention for her piece, titled “Trash.” DeLeo used recycled materials including clothing tags, receipts and plastic bags to craft various items of clothing. 

“Congratulations to Autumn, Isabella, Makayla, Emma and Talia for these amazing accomplishments," Principal Devoll said. "Each student put so much time, effort and care into their pieces and we are proud to have their hard work recognized in such a prestigious way. I also wish to congratulate our dedicated art teaching staff, Ms. Kate Butler and Ms. Jo Mogilnicki, who supported students throughout the submission process."