MUSIC A RT WOR L D OF THE

BY MERRELL WEBSTER

From drawing animals to painting oil portraits in the art room, it's no surprise that Maclay junior Logan Albritton’s life is driven around her passion for art. Albritton played sports and had hobbies as a child, but she has been surrounded by art her whole life, and thus has a specific calling towards it. While creating her many art pieces, she also lets her enjoyment for music shine through in much of her artwork. As her love for the arts expanded, she combined music and artistry to create a portrait of the American rapper Mac Miller for her AP art portfolio.

“I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t doing art; it's always been my thing,” Albritton said. “I think growing up with a creative older brother helped me a lot. He’s a musician and he’s done a lot of art in his life, so I kind of fed off of what he was doing.”

Listening to and understanding Miller’s music is what ultimately inspired Albritton to paint his self portrait. Using only oil paint and spray paint for the first time, she brought his lyrics and persona to life on a white canvas. In the background of her portrait, Albritton spray painted different lyrics and the names of his songs from his albums. She incorporated a variety of colors along the lines of red, blue, green, purple and yellow to merge all of the album lyrics together. Using different colors and character styles to represent the emotional and physical features of Miller also brought attention to the smaller details that most people overlook. She found a unique way to bring the art of music into a different point of view for people to experience.

“The technical skill is fabulous, she is a really intuitive painter and knows how to make skin tones really well, which a lot of students struggle with, '' AP Art teacher Sarah Painter said. “ I really like that she did spray paint for the background because that was a new material for her, so I appreciate her trying new things and pushing the boundary of what she is capable of.”

Albritton was specific with the songs and albums she chose because she wanted them to represent what Miller went through as an artist and the legacy he left behind for people who enjoy his music. Using her painting as inspiration, Albritton focused on the musician's purpose behind his music, what each song was trying to say and how it reflected his life.

“I’ve always liked Mac Miller, and I’ve listened to him a lot,” Albritton said. “And honestly, I was listening to him, and hearing his lyrics inspired me. I just wanted to bring that into an image and show people a different way to view songs. Some songs might go over your head because a lot of Mac’s lyrics went over my head at first until I really listened to it. So, I guess [I’m] just drawing more attention to that. By listening to what he had to say, I knew I could make art out of it.”

Usually, every artist faces challenges or roadblocks when they are designing their creative pieces, and Albritton is no different. She did not have a plan per say, but just worked on things as she went along with the project. During her process, Albritton chose songs that she was naturally drawn to so she would be able to listen to it and think about it more while coming up with her own perspective.

“I think one of the biggest challenges was to figure out where and how to make the portrait transparent so I could see-through and look at the words,” Albritton said. “The words are a big part of it and I didn't want that to be washed out.”

As for her career in art, Albritton hopes to continue being an artist, but is not exactly sure what she wants to do. She has an interest in tattooing and has a desire to sell her own artwork in the upcoming future. Away from making artwork for her class portfolio, Albritton enjoys sketching on the balcony of New Orleans, one of her favorite places to create artwork. Albritton will continue to create more pieces, and she hopes to represent a new painting of the song “Dark Red” by Steve Lacy.

On Oct. 1, Railroad Square hosted another First Friday festival. The festival occurs on the first Friday of every month while providing an experience with shops, galleries, live music and food. Albritton’s Miller piece, along with 9 other artists, was featured in the Soho Art Gallery for many people to walk by and enjoy while participating in such a lively event.

“I know for sure I want to do something in art,” Albritton said. “ I’ve always known that and it's always been the number one thing in my life.”

BY MEGHAN GOLETZ

While most high school students are involved in clubs, very few step up to lead them. Maclay senior Danielle Collins is one of those rare few who found herself intrigued with the thought of directing a club on her own. This year, Collins is the Executive Director of Maclay Dance Marathon (DM). Collins organizes the main event in February and plans out everything that will happen leading up to it. She’s in charge of making sure all of the dancers, captains and members on the Executive Board are all doing their jobs so that the event in February will be spectacular.

DM is a student-led association that benefits the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Hundreds of schools and thousands of students are involved in this movement. At Maclay, students work together throughout the school year to raise funds and awareness to help improve sick children’s health. In February, the participants of Maclay DM reunite and have a surprise reveal to see the final amount of money raised, along with the accomplishments the members have achieved over the year for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

“Being Executive Director is so much more stressful than I anticipated,” Collins said. “Over the summer I spent over 50 hours preparing for the start of this year, but it is so rewarding to know that all of this effort is going to a good cause.”

Although Collins is feeling pressured, she is taking new measures to get students involved. For example,

Collins has decided to start a new tradition in the upper school called Miracle Mondays. On the last Monday of every month leading up to the marathon, students can dress down if they pay six dollars. These days were originally designed in the middle school, but since they went so well, Collins decided to bring the idea up to the upper school. The first Miracle Monday in August was a success, and Collins cannot wait to see how the rest play out.

“I want students to understand that they are dressing down to help the kids,” Collins said.

When Collins first started participating in Maclay DM her freshman year, she never pictured herself in the position she is in today. In fact, Collins did not register until a week before her first marathon.

“When I first signed up for Maclay DM, I had no idea what I was walking into,” Collins said. “My initial plan was to go be social and hang out with friends.”

Some students at Maclay have been directly influenced by DM, such as Maclay sophomore Kenley

Robinson. Robinson has been a part of Maclay DM for five years now. Throughout middle school she was a dancer, her freshman year she was a part of the Morale committee and this year she is a hospitality captain. Robinson herself was helped by DM, as when she was born, she had holes in her heart and meningitis, in addition to other medical conditions. She received open-heart surgery, and her two week recovery process in the hospital was made easier by DM funds.

“Dance Marathon helped make my family feel comfortable and informed about my surgery and the healing process,” Robinson said. “Without Dance Marathon, I would not be where I am today, and I want to give back to the organization that has helped me and my family so much.”

Students like Robinson drive Collins to want to succeed and continue to raise awareness.

“I am so excited to see the great things that Danielle will do for Dance Marathon this year,” Robinson said. “I am so proud of her and how hard she works!”

Anyone who talks with Collins about DM can see her passion for the cause. Through her commitment and position, Collins has helped improve many sick kids’ lives throughout her journey with DM and continues to put others before herself, both inside and outside of the school community.