What is NAHS?

**NAHS’s Second Sale at the Winter TMS and HHS Band Concert.**

National Art Honors Society (NAHS) is a dedicated chapter that is new to Hamilton. It provides students with the opportunity to showcase their skills in all forms of visual art and collaborate with other creative minds. At Hamilton, there are 38 students in NAHS: 34 members and four officers. All of these people are working together to create art and become involved in the community. The club was started this year by Hamilton Art teacher Ms. Bri Strelow, who says she started the club because “It’s a wonderful way to showcase the artists of our school and also for students who are going on to art school. It’s nice to have an accolade that showcases their skill and gets their art into the community.“

We asked several students why they joined NAHS, and everyone’s reasons for joining had one thing in common: the desire to create art.

““I wanted to join something that I really liked and made me feel like I was making an impact on the school, and Art Club wasn’t really doing that for me. I wanted to join something that allowed me to make the art I wanted to make and give back to my school and community.” ”

— Erika Houston (senior)

““I joined because I wasn’t able to take many art classes, so I thought it would be a nice way to make artwork with my already busy schedule.””

— Lahari Gurram (junior)

““I really like the art community, I met a lot of people who do art on the Europe trip, and I love to hang out with them, so I decided why not join a chapter where I can see others who do art, and where I can create art projects on the side.””

— Zoe Dickert (junior)

What has NAHS Accomplished?

**Display of photography prints available for purchase at NAHS's first sale at the Winter Choir Concert.**

Although it is NAHS’s first year at Hamilton, NAHS has collaborated with other creative areas such as Choir, Band, and Construction. NAHS sold around $350 worth of artwork at The Winter Choir Concert and sold another $260 worth of artwork at The Winter TMS and HHS Band Concert. Another fun collaboration was the Maple Art Crawl, at which NAHS helped with several art-making activities, such as face painting and Turkish marbling. Helping with the Maple Art Crawl led to several children being able to experience the same joy of creativity that those in NAHS joined for. We also collaborated with Robotics when we did face painting for children at the Hamilton Robotics Scrimmage on February 18. Although no artwork was displayed, it was still a fun and creative way for NAHS to get involved with another part of the Hamilton community. One of the main reasons for members to create artwork for sale is so those who are a part of NAHS can go on a trip to the Chicago Art Museum on May 17 to enjoy more creative work.

Sales of Artwork

What art did you create to sell? How long did it take and which materials did you use?

“In October, I made this paper 3D Christmas tree with ornaments on it and a star on the top. I painted the piece with acrylics and it took about 4 hours.” - Zach Stromberg (senior)

**NAHS members Sierra Lauer, Allison Bull, Hailey Secora, and Ellie Magurany volunteering at the chapter's first sale at the Winter Choir Concert on December 6, 2023.**

“I made wooden Christmas ornaments and wood-burned a Christmas sign, along with a bunch of photos. Overall, it took me about 20 hours.” Lucas Rehse (junior)

“I made a pencil drawing of penguins that took about 10 hours to make.” Hailey Berres (junior)

“I created a jewelry ring holder using clay materials on the wheel. It took roughly 5-6 days including glazework.” Sienna Kenney (junior)

“I made ceramic watering bells. I used clay materials, and I believe it took 2-3 weeks to make, including glazing and everything.” Skylar Consiglio (senior)

“I’m making keychains using metal wires and various charms and beads. Each one takes about 30 minutes to make.” Grace Hade (senior)

Construction Collaboration

Above: Playhouses that were built by woods department and painted by NAHS members (Sierra Lauer, Sienna Kenney, Gavin Demato, Max Juedes, Gretchen Brookes, Ellie Magurany, Skylar Consiglio, Elise Damato, Mackenzie Dhein, Jaimie Gaudynski, Lahari Gurram).

How did you determine what colors to paint the playhouses?

“Sienna and Max both made their own designs, and Sienna wanted to do a galaxy theme, so we decided to make that one blue and purple. Max wanted to do a Kieth Haring theme, so we went with a yellow base color and white outlines.” Gretchen Brookes (senior)

What was the process of painting the playhouses?

“First we painted a base coat, then we did multiple additional layers. Primarily, we started with the outside and then did the inside. Then we took pencils and drew the designs. After drawing the pencil lines we painted the designs.” Jaimie Guadynski (senior)

Why did you sign up for this volunteering opportunity specifically?

“I signed up for it because it’s benefiting less financially stable children so they would have places to play. Those houses could be their childhood, and I just really doing things that benefit the community.” Gaudynski

NAHS has also collaborated with other schools in the district, such as helping out with ceramics creation at Silver Spring Intermediate.

Future NAHS Plans

Coming up on the horizon, NAHS has plans to collaborate with local businesses such as Loca Latte, Art Lounge, and Steaming Cup. Local businesses like Loca Latte and Art Lounge are very supportive of artists and display artwork up for sale, and NAHS is planning to display student artwork up for sale. Another thing NAHS is planning to be a part of is the 2024 Hamilton Education Foundation (HEF) Gala on Saturday April 13. The HEF Gala is an event where the community can come in and bid on items that were donated to HEF. HEF then uses that money to write grants to teachers, which is why NAHS wants to contribute artwork to it: to give back to the foundation for all they’ve done for the art department.

Executive Board

The chapter has just announced next year’s executive board members. Sydney Cline is the future president, Bella Alioto is the future vice president, Elise Damato will be the secretary, and Emily Lafore will be the social chair. Here’s what they think:

Why did you sign up to be a member of the executive board and why is NAHS a great opportunity?

“I signed up because by having a leadership role in the club, I wanted to bring more structure to the chapter and give it a stronger sense of direction, since it’s our first time doing this. I think NAHS is a great opportunity because I think you’re just in such a positive environment with such like-minded artists, and it really pushes you to do better in your own work. It’s really helped me grow as an artist because of this environment I’m in with so many other talented people.” Sydney Cline (junior)

“I joined the exec board because it allows me to have a leadership role in a subject that I’m really passionate about. NAHS is a great opportunity because it brings a diverse group of students together to celebrate a common interest: art.” Emily Lafore (junior)

“I wanted to be a member of the executive board because I wanted to make a difference in this chapter and help students get more opportunities to make art outside of school. I really think this chapter can be a big opportunity for many students’ lives because it is a great chance to grow and get involved in the art community.” Bella Alioto (junior)

“I joined the exec board because I knew I would work well with the other people in the chapters, and I wanted to help continue to promote art around the school and have an ability to make an impact in the chapter. NAHS is a great opportunity because you can work with people who have the same interests as you, it’s a good thing to have on your college application, and it’s a great way to volunteer in your community.” Elise Damato (junior)