Seneca High School student takes talents to New Jersey Teen Arts Festival
A local student was one of the few selected to move up to the state level of the festival, taking place on May 30, 31 and June 1 at Ocean County College.
Kathryn Chromeck, a senior at Seneca High School, has taken her talents of drawing to a new level within the New Jersey Teen Arts Festival and will be showcasing her art during the state festival taking place on May 30, 31 and June 1 at Ocean County College.
The New Jersey Teen Arts Festival has been taking place since 1969, and is dedicated to inspiring New Jersey teen artists, educators, professional artists and artist advocates from various counties across the state. The three-day event is attended by thousands of young creative students interested in expressing their talents in an array of art forms, including but not limited to: performing arts (dance, acting, musical theater, vocal and instrumental music), visual arts (drawing, sculpture, painting, photography and filmmaking), and literary arts (creative writing, prose, poetry and playwriting).
Chromeck began by displaying her artwork at the Burlington County Teen Arts Festival, which is comprised of students from approximately 40 schools throughout the county. The county festival took place on March 14 and 15 at Rowan College at Burlington County, and featured art pieces from teens ages 13 to 19. The county festival presented a unique opportunity for teens to interact with their peers in the area and to appreciate others’ talents through different forms of expression. Chromeck was chosen to move to the next round taking place in Smithville, where she was awarded a Certificate of Achievement and was further selected to move up to the state level where artwork will be judged based on creativity and originality, composition, content, execution, presentation, technical level and overall appeal.
Only a small selection of teens is chosen to move up to the state level, and Chromeck now has the opportunity to present once again at the state festival.
Chromeck said, “I’m really humbled that I got recognized.”
Her art is created through the medium of colored pencils, and she focuses on a theme of surreal creatures.
“My concentration for this year is creatures of the imagination.” Chromeck said. “I usually do a lot of art with skulls and animal anatomy.”
Chromeck heard about the New Jersey Teen Arts festival through her art teacher at Seneca, Bob Dooley. Dooley has seen Chromeck’s artwork firsthand, with her participation in the high school’s annual art show — which Dooley has been working side-by-side with art teacher Katie Cichon to coordinate for the past 10 years.
The annual art show is scheduled for May 24 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Seneca High School, and Chromeck, along with other students enrolled in art, photography and woodshop classes, will be presenting their work.
Chromeck is enrolled in the AP art class with Dooley, where she works fairly independently. She only receives broad instruction, such as size or style requirements, deadlines and feedback from Dooley. However, he was able to help Chromeck during the process of selecting which art pieces would be submitted to the Teen Arts Festival.
“She is incredibly talented,” Dooley said. “The art she’s best at, that she’s gotten moved on at Teen Arts with, are all from sketches she’s made based around her concentration.”
Chromeck is eager to showcase her work at the New Jersey Teen Arts Festival, and to be a part of Seneca’s annual art show once more before graduating.
