Five karma points for whoever posts a picture of the billboard mentioned below.
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Student's painting proves art has power
Saturday, March 10, 2012
BY STEPHANIE AKIN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
HACKENSACK — Jay Modi learned firsthand about the "power of art" after his drawing representing the slogan was selected to be posted on a River Street billboard.
The 9-year-old's parents, Sejal and Nikesh, woke up early to take Jay and his 6-year-old brother, Raj, on a before-school trip just to see it.
His brother wanted to take a picture. His parents said he should become a professional artist.
And on a return visit Friday, his art teacher, Cheryl Parisi of Nellie K. Parker Elementary School, was so full of praise of his understanding of color and space that Jay could hardly sit still while she talked.
"Jay's such a wonderful student," Parisi said, while the youngster squirmed. "He works really hard. It's a pleasure to have him in my class."
Jay said he worked on the drawing for more than four hours total – using every minute of free time Parisi gave students in the third-grade class for their entries in the statewide Art Educators of New Jersey competition.
Parisi said she gave Jay permission to work during lunchtime and afterschool on the picture — which depicts an artists' mannequin as a superhero — as it became clear it would be a contender in the contest.
The product of his work shows the mannequin with its arms outstretched in a triumphant pose, surrounded by the tools of the trade: crayons and paintbrushes Parisi said are expertly positioned to draw attention to the slogan.
Jay painstakingly colored it all in with markers in vibrant yellow, blue, green and red.
Even the lettering contains a creative flourish: the O's are painter's palettes.
The billboard will remain at the Berry Street intersection until the end of March, which is observed by the National Art Education Foundation and several non-profit trade associations as National Youth Art Month. The designation is meant to promote art education in schools.
The picture will also be displayed on a billboard in Trenton — where Jay will get to see it when he attends an awards ceremony this month — and on a poster that will be distributed to teachers who are members of Art Educators of New Jersey, Parisi said.
As for Jay, who also likes writing and reading chapter books with funny stuff inside, he says he wants to be an artist one day. What kind of art will he do? "Basically just letting my imagination free," he said. "That type of art."
Email: akin@northjersey.com
