(Claire S./Staff)

Columbus Academy welcomed artists, all OSU seniors, from Ohio State University’s Urban Art Space to Morris Hall Art Gallery to challenge the perception of people in America through their paintings, photographs, and collages.

Art teacher, Pedro Mena, contacted the Urban Art Space last year at the OSU Networking and Career Fair. Regarding the selected artists, Mr. Mena says, “We were impressed with their community outreach and art education efforts with OSU’s Urban Art Space gallery.”

The exhibit, “We Who Come From,” explores the diversity of humanity by showcasing the distinctive connections between culture and self-discovery. Individually, each piece tells the artists’s story about the relationship they have with their culture. Together, these pieces feature a collection of diverse narratives of the universal human experience.

Gallery pieces also feature an interactive piece on the gallery’s second floor. There is a man laying down and a tree next to him, both made out of chicken wire. Next to the display is a list of prompts concerning culture, familial support, and mental health. Students and faculty are encouraged to answer questions on the provided colorful slips of paper and tie them to a branch on the chicken wire tree, to help the tree “bloom”.

The exhibit runs until Sunday, October 1.

For more information about the Urban Art Space visit https://uas.osu.edu/about.