Artistic Applause: LPS students showcase talents at secondary district art event

May 21, 2025

A happy accident led to a heartwarming outcome for North Star High School sophomore Ashlyn at this spring’s Lincoln Public Schools Secondary District Art Show.
 
Ashlyn was working on the first part of her mixed media drawing “Plateau” earlier this semester when she made a mark that wasn’t part of her original plans. Instead of heading back to the starting line, she decided to toss water on the image to see how it would turn out. The result was a vivid display of red, orange and purple cloud-like shapes that made the rest of her drawing stand out.
 
“We hadn’t worked on watercolors yet, and I did the background, and I messed up,” Ashlyn said with a smile. “Then I started throwing water all over the background, and it turned out really neat. I was just like, ‘Okay, well, I’ll keep doing that,’ because I had messed up, but I was like, ‘Okay, I have to fix it somehow.’”
 
Hundreds of people admired the creativity of student artists like Ashlyn at the district show, which took place at Steve Joel District Leadership Center. Families walked through all three floors of the district building to view paintings, drawings, sculptures and other imaginative ideas.

 
LPS Visual Art Curriculum Specialist Lorinda Rice greeted visitors inside the lobby as they arrived in the early evening. Students collected certificates of recognition from LPS visual art staff members before searching for their award-winning artworks. Rice said it was fun to watch the expressions on their faces as they realized a large audience would enjoy their efforts.
 
“Some are really shy and others are just so elated,” Rice said. “They’re excited to be here, and they’re pretty proud that they were selected to be in the show. It’s really neat to see them have that kind of excitement.”
 
Northeast High School sophomore Abdul was among those who were in the elated category. He created a black-and-white photo of a flower emerging out of the ground. He said flowers were his favorite subjects to capture on his camera.
 
“I just find it interesting to photograph nature,” Abdul said.

 
Abdul began taking photos last fall as part of an art class at Northeast. He enjoyed the process of finding scenic images and working on composition items such as angles and lighting. He would like to continue exploring photography in his final two years at Northeast.
 
“I just did the first photography class last semester and did another one this semester,” Abdul said. “It’s been fun.”
 
East High School sophomore Sopheigh wore the same type of bright smile as her family snapped a picture of her in front of her oil pastel called “Yawning Jaguar.” Her artwork featured a large jaguar opening its mouth while resting in the rainforest. Sopheigh said she was happy with how the image emerged on the canvas.
 
“It was my first time trying an oil pastel,” Sopheigh said. “I like trying out different techniques and seeing how they turn out.”

 
Sopheigh said she enjoys the freedom that comes from exploring her artistic options. Ashlyn also said it was fun to watch her ideas come to life with her paintbrushes and pens. She is planning to take more art classes at North Star in her junior and senior years.
 
“I just like that I can do whatever I want with it,” Ashlyn said. “There are so many things you can do with acrylics and watercolors and drawings and all of it.”
 
The district show was the final chapter of a yearlong artistic journey for hundreds of LPS secondary students. They completed many projects such as circular-shaped drawings at Lincoln High, an intergenerational exhibit at Eastmont Retirement Community and a monster mashup show featuring high school and elementary school artists. They also won a large number of local and state awards for their talents.
 
Rice said she was pleased to see a steady stream of people file into the district office throughout the night. She said it was heartwarming for students like Ashlyn, Abdul and Sopheigh to receive applause for their artistic ideas.
 
“It shows that this means a lot to people, which is so nice to know,” Rice said. “It’s been a really good night.”
 
Visit home.lps.org/art to learn more about visual art programs at LPS and how students are benefiting from their courses.
 
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