STMS Artists

If you rode down the streets of Downtown Rock Hill, you might have seen some of the banners drawn by four Wildcats.  Joshua McClure, Cooper Lane, Raseac Myles, and Ally Ferguson, all 7th graders, entered designs for the Arts Council of York County Banner Project. According to the Arts Council, this project creates colorful lamppost banners, designed and painted by York County students, highlighting the imaginations and creativity of the youth across York County.

This was the 8th year of the project, and the theme was The Civil Rights Movement. All schools were open to enter this competition. Mrs. Copley, Saluda Trail’s art teacher, said all of the students in her art classes were eligible to enter this contest. “The judges looked for the idea behind the art and also how the art piece related to the theme,” said Copley.

Cooper Lane is a 7th grader whose art work was selected. “It feels good knowing that I did just enough to be one of the winners,” said Cooper. The young artist said the inspiration behind his work was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Joshua McClure was another 7th grade student whose art was chosen. His drawing was of Malcolm X, a social leader of the Civil Rights Movement. “I figured everyone would do somebody like Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks so that’s why I decided to do Malcolm X,” McClure said.  “The hardest part about his drawing was drawing the face of Malcolm X.”

Raseac Myles was also proud to have his work selected. Myles’ art was a tribute to  The Friendship Nine.The Friendship Nine was a group of African American men who went to jail after staging a sit-in at a segregated McCrory’s lunch counter in Rock Hill, South Carolina in 1961. Myles said he loves drawing in his free time. “I started drawing from watching the cartoon Dora,” he said. “Drawing runs in the family.”

Ally Ferguson took a totally different approach to her project.  Instead of images, her entire project was full of words. Ferguson included words that are associated with Civil Rights. The banners were hung in Clover, Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Rock Hill, and York from February 20 – March 15, 2015.

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Joshua McClure shows off his banner depicting Malcolm X.

 

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